Spiral Heart
by D-Sparil
Summary: The fate of Karin following her arrival in Konoha and how her life might just change the entire Ninja world. A romance story between Naruto and Karin, as well as a few other pairings. You have to read to see the others!
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:**

-=-Suppositions/Important Information-=-

Pairings: There are no yaoi pairings. There is one yuri pairing (not until later). There are several unusual pairings and they will not always be stereotypical nor will they always be 'happy'. Simply put, if you're very serious about a specific pairing being present in any romance you read, you may not find it here and should be aware of that.

Character Portrayal: Some characters will get particularly harsh treatments. Notably Sakura. Life does not continue to go well for her and if you can't handle that (as a big Sakura-fan) then you probably don't want to read this because this work reflects what the author feels would actually be going on as a result of all her recent actions.

Literary Divergence: This story takes place immediately following the events of Chapter 489 "On the Brink of World War!" of Naruto. Events preceding this are considered valid and canon for the most part (barring unforeseen prior events that the author cannot specifically recall), there are some changes that will occur, but these are changes of 'future' events and manipulation of possibility; NOT manipulation of entire events. Following Chapter 489, any events, personality reveals, character reveals, etc.; may (or may not) be changed drastically. If you cannot handle changes of immense measure, this story is not for you.

Conclusive Work: This story is intended to conclude the Naruto series in a separate fashion from the original manga/anime. As a result, this work will end in a likely VERY different fashion from Naruto.

Content is Mature: Don't like seeing characters hurt emotionally and physically? This isn't for you. Don't like death and romance? This isn't for you. Long story short, are you mature? If yes, read on. If no, find something else because I won't be pulling my punches with some harsh moments.

Omission: Some characters aren't going to be making appearances... or they'll be minor if they do. Someone like Konohamaru... probably not gonna show up much. Healing will be done off-focus when it is not plot important. I don't need (and you probably don't want me) to put in a page of healing every time someone is injured unless it is important and relevant.

Italics: These are used to generally represent a character's thoughts. They should be more or less self-explanatory.

-=-Suppositions/Important Information-=-

**End Author Notes**

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 1: _The Red-Haired Captive

Karin was in the midst of telling her sad sop story to the interrogators when the man with the scars cut her off. _Damn, the dull one was starting to buy it!_ she thought as the scarred one told her to stop telling a life story (and a false one at that) and to tell him about Sasuke and Kabuto. He even reprimanded the dull one who was falling for her fake tears and sobs. _Well, there goes my odds of getting out of this as a victim. Now I __**am**__ going to be a victim of Konoha._ she chuckled in her head while her stomach grumbled. Oh well, enough with the ruse, time for the direct approach…

"Bah! Fine, but I've got conditions of my own." she said, dropping her act in under five seconds, the tears and sobs gone and a bored look covering her face. After all, what could Konoha do in comparison to what Orochimaru had threatened before? Nothing she was afraid of, that was for certain. The dull one got a look of outrage on his face at her statement and she smirked, knowing that outrage wasn't just from her audacity but from the fact that she'd made a fool him. "Conditions?" he shouted, as though the mere idea of negotiating with a captive was insanity. She rested her head on a propped-up hand on the table: "Number one, I'm starving. You give me some breaded pork and rice and then we'll talk!" The scarred one smiled, the dull one kept going irate until the scarred one waved him off, no doubt sending him to get the food much to his added humiliation.

"What else?" the scarred one said, clearly amused by the situation but with an air of confidence that showed he completely controlled the interrogation still. It daunted her a bit and she straightened her glasses, regaining her composure instead of looking bored. She'd only done that to further infuriate the dull one, but he was gone now. _Hmm, what do I ask for within reason?_ she thought. "Okay, number two, I'm not executed or held indefinitely in a jail-cell." and again he gave that knowing and amused look. "Agreed, but you'll be held in Konoha until we've resolved the crisis or until other circumstances arise that dictate otherwise."

_What the hell does that mean?_ she thought, but quickly shook herself out of it, _must mean something to do with Sasuke, yeah, he comes from here originally_. She put a finger to her lips in thought for a moment and then added, "Finally, number three, I'll be upfront with you on everything I know provided you in turn keep me protected from anyone who comes looking for me." The scarred man only gave the briefest look of being startled before his face became amused and impassive again. "Agreed then. I can't imagine them coming here just to clear up one loose end, but your safety here is assured."

Ibiki listened to her information, explaining everything she knew about Orochimaru bases, Kabuto's experiments and goals, Sasuke and his recent activities; all while chewing on the food she'd been brought. _Cutting her own losses, clever girl, we could make use of that_. He thought to himself, but kept quiet, a hand pressed flat against a pile of chakra paper, using a technique that was recording everything she said (or rather, the interpretations and information he needed from it) onto the paper page-by-page. He only occasionally asked for clarification or additional information, she was either giving him the most elaborately constructed lies imaginable or she was honoring her end of the agreement by being entirely honest.

She ran a hand through her red hair, always on the unkempt side to avoid mussing the smoothed side, as she spoke. She spoke at length, knowing only the quality of her information would determine how favorable the attitude she received was. She held no illusions that the scarred interrogator was bound to honor any agreements he made. The fact that he'd provided food only meant he knew his trade well; a well fed captive is far more amicable and easier to work with… and if she turned out useless, it'd probably double as a last meal or act as a reminder of what she could get if she was useful.

Either way, she didn't care. She had no loyalties to Orochimaru who was slain, or imprisoned… or something; she hadn't quite grasped completely what had happened to him the way Sasuke explained it (what little of it he had). All she knew was that her former master was out of the picture for good. As for Kabuto, well, she'd never liked him. He was almost more treacherous than Orochimaru and that wasn't an easy feat. He always skulked around in a position of nigh-invincibility. He wasn't worth being possessed as a body for Orochimaru and his knowledge and skills made him invaluable to keep around. In short, he was untouchable and Orochimaru's favorite. Two things that had combined to make him a total asshole to deal with. _Of course, it didn't help that he was damned clever; he always looked at my techniques and experiments with that smirk like he'd already done all of it._ She shook her head a bit and swallowed another bite of food as she kept talking.

Besides, what would the leaf do with Orochimaru and Kabuto's research and labs? Absolutely nothing. _No different than giving a sword to a pacifist_. She covered a chuckle with another bite of food. No, Konoha would not be using the formula to produce Cursed Seals even if they found the means. With Jugo gone there'd even be limited amounts of the necessary ingredients remaining. In short, she wasn't worried about giving up any 'super secret weaponry' because Konoha wouldn't use it. Their silly "will of fire" would keep them from using almost everything in Orochimaru's various lairs. The most they'd get is a few captives who'd probably gone insane, already escaped, or had died in their unwatched cells.

That left only one thing which she just started to talk about to the scarred man… Uchiha Sasuke. She'd left it for last, knowing full well this is what they wanted to know about most. He was probably the second biggest threat in the world at the moment, the first being his new 'mentor'. _I wish I could say I felt bad about this, like it was some kind of betrayal… but it's pretty clear Sasuke doesn't care if I live or die anymore. Hell, he was ready to kill me __**through**__ his friend. _She shook her head sadly, not bothering to hide it behind any other gestures or acts. _Lost cause. Sayonara Sasuke_. She thought in her mind, writing him off from her life. Handsome and powerful weren't enough to excuse his descent into blood-filled madness and darkness. He'd started off well enough, but ever since he went to kill Danzo at the Kage Summit, he just kept getting more and more dark until there was nothing left but an abyss of murderous hatred.

Ibiki had noticed her gestures and, since his technique was recording, he was observing her more than her information. He saw her react and thought to himself: _Good, she's written off her past. There's hope for her yet._ and kept observing quietly. Her information was startling though: Sasuke, always a liability due to his thirst for vengeance, had turned his ire against all of Konoha according to her. That meant he'd be probing their defenses or even trying an all out attack. She also made it clear she suspected Uchiha Madara of involvement in his descent to madness. The two together, the last surviving Uchiha clan members, would be a potent foe… but thankfully she'd made it sound like Sasuke despised his 'partner' and that Sasuke was always ignoring his decisions and orders. _If they don't cooperate, that's a relief, the last thing we need is them pooling their might_. He could tell she was nearing the end of her tale, and so returned his attention to her and not his thoughts.

_Now to see if my information was worth anything._ Karin thought as her information wound to a close. "That's all I know. Take it or leave it, torture me or not, there's nothing else I can tell you." she took a deep breath, her plate long since picked clean of anything but a few soggy grains of rice, and closed her eyes while picking over the food scraps she didn't even intend to eat; waiting for sentence.

"I believe you. All of it, in fact." the scarred man said, and then stood up. "I am going to fetch someone. I've decided on the arrangement for your foreseeable future here in Konoha. No objections or it's a jail cell or the gallows. Understand? This time you're not negotiating, you're being told how it's going to happen. Whether you're happy about it or not is your only choice in the matter." He then went to the door, knocked and said: "It's Ibiki." and the door opened, letting him pass, closing behind him and locking with a loud click.

She sighed as she was left alone. This was her life now, something in Konoha… she closed her eyes, trying to extend her sensing abilities for the first time since her confinement and got a large blankness. _Of course I'm in a chakra-sealed room. I should've realized. It seems they're going to put me to some use, but now what do I do? Maybe I should just be happy I'm still alive. I suppose I could try to pledge my loyalty to a ninja village, and Konoha's the best one right? Wouldn't be too bad to have a place to actually call home. Hah! Who am I kidding? Like they'd accept me! The only one who'd seemed to even give a crap I existed was that 'Naruto' guy. He was the only one who looked at me as anything other than a captive. But what was that darkness I sensed in him? It almost felt like it was…_ her thoughts were cut off as the door opened again. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like it'd been ages, so she was happy to see anyone else at all.

Outside the room, Ibiki had approached the pink-haired girl named Haruno Sakura. He chuckled slightly while he stared at her, noting how much she'd changed since he'd overseen her first Chuunin Exam. _Ah well, enough time for reminiscing later, there's business to be taken care of_. "Do you know why I've called you here?" he asked her in the stern and unforgiving tone he always used. She shook her head 'no' and he continued: "It is because the girl you saved, a stray ninja by the name of Karin, is currently in our custody. Formerly of Kusagakure, she was abducted or inducted, if you wish to argue it, some time following that same Chuunin Exam into Orochimaru's service. After his death, she came to serve under Sasuke of her own volition. Now she's here and forsworn her former allegiances. Given her abilities, cooperation, and candidness, we're not going to detain, execute, or turn her back over to Kusagakure. As far as they know, she's dead. She also discarded her forehead protector ages ago, so she can't even be counted as a missing-nin since her origin only comes from our records and her stories. Likely Kusagakure considers her dead and returning her would only be a death sentence to her. A waste of resources that Konoha can't afford right now following the Pain incident and with war looming."

Sakura had listened with a puzzled face: what was Ibiki getting at? _He mentioned forsworn allegiances, will she help me find Sasuke again? _Sakura thought. She tried to forget the most recent encounter with him, had it not been for Kakashi and Naruto she'd probably have been killed… more than once… but she still felt that there was some way to bring Sasuke back. Naruto would be able to help her bring him back. She brought her attention back to Ibiki who continued to talk after he saw her attention return. "What do I have to do with this, sir?" Sakura asked, interrupting him.

"I was getting to that. Since you saved her life she'll be indebted to you," _and since you can no doubt empathize with her better than anyone else_, Ibiki thought while he paused, "and so we're putting you in charge of her. You'll watch her while we test her abilities and her information. When the higher-ups have decided what to do with her, she'll no longer be your charge; until then, however, she's going to your responsibility." Ibiki frowned when he saw the startled and disgusted look on Sakura's face. _Perhaps the same obsession would make them rivals instead? Oh well, not my decision to make, this is ordered from much higher up._ He put a hand on her shoulder: "I know you won't turn this down, Konoha needs you to do this. Besides, we aren't going to leave it all on you alone. She'll be forced to wear a tracking collar that'll monitor her chakra at all times. If she tries anything, we'll know where she's going and what she's doing."

Sakura shook her head violently _Why me? I don't want to do this! This isn't fair, why do I have to watch over her! Sigh… guess this will at least let me find out what I need to know_, her thoughts were still in a mess after recent events. She sighed again, this time aloud, and finally replied: "I accept. Let's go." She resigned herself to it, she didn't really know Ibiki, but knew that arguing with him would probably be a lost cause; and if the orders really came from higher up, then she had no chance of avoiding it anyway. Ibiki nodded his approval and opened the door to where Karin was being held.

"Oh, you're back… and…? Oh! It's you! The one who rescued me." Karin's face was impossible to read, but Sakura didn't like her tone… there was something condescending about it that she didn't understand. She frowned, but kept quiet; this was Ibiki's show for now. He approached Karin and set a small chrome collar on the table in front of her. "What's this?" the red-head asked, examining it for a moment before closing her eyes and focusing on it, opening them up a moment later again. "Oh… a tracking collar. Well, can't say I'm not familiar with that particular form of embarrassment. Everyone who serves Orochimaru wears one of these for at least a year. Yours at least look a good deal more comfortable."

Ibiki nodded and gave Sakura a nudge. "Go on, she's your charge now." Ibiki said, waiting for Karin to affix the collar to her own neck, putting it just below the collar on her coat so it remained out of sight after securing it. He added one last bit: "By the way, that collar is chakra-encoded to me. Until I've removed it, tampering won't do you any good." With that, he left, leaving the door ajar and the situation in Sakura's hands; though he was waiting right outside it, out of sight to make sure the two got along. Karin stared at the pink-haired girl for a moment and then smirked. "I get it, you're my caretaker, huh? Well, come on, I'm sure we can do proper introductions and the like outside of here. Besides, I'm sure you've got a nice cozy couch I can actually get some decent sleep on." She got up to leave the room but Sakura stepped ahead of her. "Let me lead, you don't know which way you're going." Sakura turned with a 'hmph' and led the way out. Karin just shrugged it off, no sense arguing with her over that, especially when she was right.

As they walked past, Ibiki nodded and let the pair pass, quietly observing but otherwise saying nothing. After they'd left the building, Karin stretched and yawned, despite the fact that it appeared to be noon. _You lose track of time so easily underground, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it in those cave hideouts I was in before… but being able to leave whenever I wanted stopped that._ She thought to herself, noting that her brief captivity and recovery had messed with her sense of time. She was tired like it was late at night, but decided not to complain, she had a better idea in mind.

"So… I could see it in you while you saved me. You like Sasuke don't you?" Karin threw the first of her barbed hooks at the pink-haired girl, trying to get a feel for her and not really minding if she stepped on some toes. Raw reactions were the most honest in her opinion. She got no response, but could see the stiffness in her 'guide'. "Hmm, 'like' isn't strong enough. Okay, so you love him. Have you two ever done anything together… like that?" she grinned, straightening her glasses with one hand and holding up her arm with the other folded across her midsection. _Oh my, that got a reaction, but she's trying desperately to appear calm…_ Karin decided to set one last hook out there to see if she could get a better measure of her 'caretaker'. "So I take it you've been unable to convince yourself that he's not worth it anymore, even after he tried to kill you?" That got a reaction from the pink-haired girl. She spun and gripped Karin's shoulder tight enough that it felt like it was going to break. A sharp intake of breath was all Karin allowed to betray her pain to the girl she'd been tormenting. _Which, I guess is kind of mean to her… but damn it, there she was crying over me about Sasuke while I lay next-to-dead in her hands. Like no one in the world could feel her pain or possibly empathize! I need to know you better than just that if I'm in your hands! The people here will probably judge me first through you! _Karin winced slightly as the grip tightened just a slight bit more.

"Let's get one thing straight. I'm not doing this because I like you… Karin? Was it?" _I'm doing this because you'll help me find out more about Sasuke._ Sakura kept the grip on the other girl's shoulder as she continued, "I don't want any attitude from you and I don't need you trying to bait me into being switched out as your 'caretaker'. I'm not going to show I'm incompetent to every other person in the village over you." Sakura snapped, thinking inwardly that she'd already betrayed a few friends and utterly failed at what she'd betrayed them to do. _Good job with that last part so far Sakura…_

Karin gave a genuine and mildly embarrassed sort of smile, "Sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I wasn't trying to make you look incompetent, I just wanted know a bit more about you; you're looking after me after all right? I've found you get the best measure of someone when they're upset or flustered." _As Suigetsu always managed to hit the nail on the head about my interest in Sasuke…_ "Anyone can put up an act; true emotion destroys those acts pretty quick. Also, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything more than what I told that scarred interrogator about Sasuke. 'Sides… you shouldn't want that anymore. I don't know your history… but he's not the Sasuke you probably knew anymore." Karin shook her head again as Sakura let her go with a 'huff' and kept walking. _Oh, guess that's a sore spot for her… oh well, guess I don't blame her_.

She followed quietly for a short while before quietly saying: "it is Karin, by the way." Sakura turned, taken aback slightly at the sincere tone of her voice. She seemed genuinely sorry for agitating her earlier. _That's new, guess she really did mean she was just trying to get a 'feel' for me. Damned odd way to do it, but I guess being stuck under Orochimaru for a while doesn't teach you courtesy as a first priority._ "Sakura," she replied, "it's Haruno Sakura… and we're almost there." Karin nodded and followed.

"Okay, Sakura, lead the way."

Naruto lay on the grass, a hill near Konoha but not anywhere near the main city where it was covered in trees and buildings. He was staring at the clouds as they passed overhead, seeing various things in them one second and not seeing them at all the next. He was lost in his own thoughts having confronted Sasuke again after such a long time. Although when compared to the years he spent training with Jiraiya it wasn't that long at all; Naruto felt like an eternity had passed since he saw him at Orochimaru's hideout. _All that darkness… killing Itachi brought more problems than it solved, didn't it?_ He sighed loudly, he had always felt there was only a small glimmer of hope that after his revenge Sasuke would go back to normal. That glimmer was gone now, but Naruto didn't find he missed it much, that had always been a long-shot in his mind and he had seen what happened to people like Gaara and Nagato. Revenge doesn't lead anywhere, it is just the door to a world of hatred. _Something I need to keep in mind if I'm going to bring about a world of peace._ Of course, Naruto felt that Madara's involvement had changed everything. The masked man must've affected Sasuke a great deal, he'd been right there after the death of Itachi… who knows what he'd done with Sasuke in such a vulnerable state. _But what did he do? What has Sasuke been doing, he was cold, sure, when I saw him last, but not that dark! What happened… wait-a-sec! That girl! She was with Sasuke! The one with the red hair, she traveled with him!_ Naruto sat upright as he had his revelation.

_Yeah… she must've been with him the whole time! Then… that'd mean she could tell me what happened to him! She was even there when he killed Itachi I bet!_ Naruto smiled, he had a lead to follow; and, though anyone else would've considered the situation hopeless, he was always being told those were the situations he did best in. I _never give up on anything and I swore I'd bring Sasuke back, I never go back on my word._ Naruto smiled and got to his feet to go find Kakashi. He'd know what had happened with the girl with red hair; he'd been carrying her after all. With just a bit of luck and maybe a lot of begging, the red haired girl would tell him more about Sasuke. He wondered whether or not she'd cooperate, but knew it didn't matter… he'd keep trying and asking until she did!

His bright mood carried him along the streets of Konoha even as it was being rebuilt around him following the destruction caused by the invasion of Nagato. _I'm not calling him Pain, he redeemed himself in the end and I won't forget that._ he reminded himself and kept walking, unable to be depressed by the destruction anymore because he saw the vibrant life around him. _He brought them all back, every last one, and I'm not gonna mourn any pile of wood or bricks!_ The only thing he'd worried about was the Ichiraku Ramen building, and, in light of his efforts to save the village, it had been one of the first things they'd rebuilt. Naruto was half-tempted to go and visit them but quickly shook his head. _No! Gotta find Kakashi first, then ramen… and lots of it!_

Naruto waited in the surprisingly undamaged Hokage's office. He'd been sent here by the first jounin he'd encountered while looking for Kakashi. For someone who'd been sitting in an uncomfortable chair waiting for the past thirty minutes he had a remarkably cheery expression. The reason for it was something he had not been aware of before arriving: Tsunade had revived. He'd only had minor details following the whole ordeal, but it'd been said she'd passed into a coma. Naruto had worried about her as much as he could spare attention to it. _I've been a bit busy, hope she won't mind me stopping in to see her about… well, something she'll probably think unimportant and a fools errand. _Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick when he was embarrassed or in a difficult situation. "Oh well," he said aloud since no one was in the room, "as long as she doesn't hit me I'm happy."

"Naruto?" an aide asked that had just entered.

"Yeah?" he replied, blinking twice. _There are people who still don't know me here in Konoha? Or maybe that's just a thing that they always do…_ he stood up and walked behind the aide as he led the way to the Hokage's office. The man ushered him into the room and had barely taken three steps away from the door when Naruto came flying back out and smashed into the wall with a resounding crash. He jumped in surprise, but quickly dashed off as that could only be the work of Tsunade's fists, and he had no desire to stay and earn any of that fury himself.

_So much for the not-hitting…_ Naruto picked himself up off the floor and dusted his shoulders, rubbing his nose to see if he was bleeding at all. He walked slowly back into the office, more wary this time. "What'd I do?" he asked, completely oblivious as to why he'd earned such a 'fond' welcome.

"Naruto. You're the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails… explain to me why, when I woke up, I was given reports that you'd snuck off to the Kage Summit and then pursued Sasuke after he attacked the summit?" Her anger was apparent from the twitch in the corner of her eye as she waited for an answer. Naruto carefully stepped closer.

"Because I wanted to try and stop the Raikage from attacking Sasuke, I want to handle that situation, I said I would! I never go ba-" Tsunade lunged forward, but Naruto was ready and jumped back, his sentence was still interrupted and, before he could resume it, she cut him off.

"Naruto! Akatsuki wants you alive or dead! You've clashed with them multiple times! Why would you so recklessly endanger yourself leaving the village after they've shown they are clearly using everything they've got to bring you in? Don't you have any idea the kind of danger that puts yourself, and the ninja-world, in?" Naruto hung his head slightly, but then stared back up at her with determination.

"I've beaten two of them, one who we thought was their leader for the longest time. I wasn't alone, either, Kakashi and Yamato were with me the whole time! Besides, even the thought of me being in Konoha caused its destruction! Only a miracle kept that away. I understand you want me safe and out of harm's way with that Madara guy fully active… but I can take care of myself now too and I'm not going to let anyone kill Sasuke or let anyone capture me. I'll defend Konoha and my friends!" Tsunade waited, with arms folded while he replied. She nodded once when she saw he had no intent to back down at all and turned around, facing away from him and looking out the windows.

"Good. You're still the same Naruto. Wanted to make sure whatever went on while I was… unavailable… hadn't changed you for the worse." She turned, a smile on her face for the first time since he'd seen her in a very long while. "Now, I'm sorry for hitting you, but forgive this lady for worrying about the legacy of her friend, Jiraiya. If anything were to happen to you, I'd never be able to face that pervert when I meet him again." She smirked, "…and I suppose I should give you some more credit… you did defeat Pain aftera-" she stopped, seeing the frown form on his face, "I'm sorry, you defeated Nagato." There was an awkward silence for a moment before she continued. "So, what brings Konoha's most unpredictable ninja here, of all places?"

Naruto smiled, obviously excited to share his idea: "I'm here to ask about the red-haired girl we found with Sasuke. She's got to know more about what happened on his side of things. Stuff that Ibiki wouldn't find important enough to record, but may give me some idea as to what Sasuke's been up to!"

Tsunade listened patiently and chuckled a bit. "You underestimate our intelligence division just a bit Naruto, but you raise a fair enough point and you'll have the chance you want since you probably would know more of what she says in relation to Sasuke for its significance. Currently, Karin is being looked after by Sakura."

"Karin? Oh! That's her name… wait, she was that badly hurt?" Naruto looked puzzled, interrupting Tsunade with his obvious concern.

"No no, she's fine now, but we don't want to hold her in a jail cell. We're hoping that with Sasuke so clearly having betrayed and abandoned her and with Orochimaru out of the picture that she might eventually be of some use to Konoha." Tsunade sat back down in her chair and continued, "She's an extraordinarily talented sensor type with some extra abilities we're still figuring out. She has no home to go to and no friends yet here in Konoha so she's being looked after by Sakura until she can support herself. She'll also be undergoing some examinations to determine what she can and can't do." Tsunade nodded once, "is that satisfactory? Also, yes, you can go speak to her as much as you wish, however, there's a time limit."

"Huh? A time limit?" Naruto stared, eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what she was referring to but already disliking the sound of it.

"Yes, you and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki are to be sequestered far out of harm's way during the coming war since you're the objective of the enemy."

"Huh! C'mon Granny, you saw me fight, I rescued you even! Don't just toss me out of danger until everything is over! How can I bring Sasuke back like that? How am I even supposed to become Hokage if I'm off in some remote hideout while everyone else fights a war!"

Tsunade let out a 'tut' of frustration and continued as though Naruto hadn't spoken, "The Eight-Tails will be teaching you how to master your own inner demon as he has complete control of his. Pa-… Nagato's Invasion should've been lesson enough on how badly you need that. Especially if you want to bring Sasuke back in any way other than a body bag or ever become a Hokage that people can trust not to go berserk." _I'm being too hard on him, but he needs to hear it, it's the truth and nothing is going to change the decision anyway. It was agreed upon by more than just Konoha… if we back out now… no. We can't do that. Not before this war. We all need to work together, and that means you need to realize the importance of this; I'm sorry Naruto._ She genuinely felt apologetic, it wasn't quite fair to be so blunt, but she couldn't let him too heavily ride his success regarding Pain. His partial transformation in Konoha was devastating, even with Pain's technique obliterating so much of it. _It can't happen again!_ she thought and resolved herself not to give in or back down in front of him.

Naruto sighed and looked crestfallen. "Can't I train here?" he asked, a hopeful look appearing on his face.

"No, it'd be too dangerous. We lack the resources at the moment as well."

Again his face dropped and he nodded meekly in submission. "Alright… but… how much time do I have before I have to leave?"

Tsunade sighed loudly. _Geez, looking at him you'd think I'd asked him to give up being a ninja. There's got to be something I can do… _Tsunade racked her brain for a few long minutes of awkward silence as Naruto waited for an answer with patience born of sorrow. He had no desire to hear her answer anyway and so would not press her for it. "Tell you what, Naruto, if you agree to not leave Konoha… I mean not even go outside the city walls until you are ready to leave and join the Eight-Tails… then I can probably convince them to let you stay here as long as you like." She finally answered, quickly adding "within reason!" to the end to keep him from deciding to stay forever. "Probably the most I can get you is a month and even that would be pushing it."

Naruto threw a fist into the air as that familiar smile covered his face. "Thanks Granny-Tsunade!" and before she could object to the derogatory nickname, he had run over and hugged her. Surprised and somewhat confused as to how to react, Tsunade just sort of accepted it and let him run off on his merry way, glad no one had seen that. She decided afterwards that, considering she punched him, it was only fair to let that go and call it 'even'. She shuffled the paperwork on her desk, sighed once, and then set about the troublesome business of coming up with a reasonable excuse for 'detaining' Naruto slightly longer. _Some false concern about a heroism festival or feast-thing to honor him for Pain's invasion as well as some bullcrap about the seal needing to be restored to full strength prior to his jinchuriki training aught to do it._

There was a bit of a spring in Naruto's step as he traveled along the streets of Konoha once more. He was happy he didn't have to leave quite so soon. He had, after all, just gotten back from the Kage Summit and from his sage training. He'd spent more time away from Konoha than he had near it recently and it was starting to wear on him. He walked in a leaned back posture with his hands behind his head. _Noooow I can get ramen!_ He smiled broadly, people waving happily and kids pointing excitedly at him only for their parents to drag them along with a smile. _Not even five years ago everything was so different… I remember when they pointed in hatred at me. Now I'm a hero to them._ Naruto felt something bitter about that and his smile and easy-going posture vanished as he kept walking, he couldn't understand what it was, but something felt wrong about it all. He shook his head, he'd worry about that later. For now there was ramen and then off to Sakura's place to talk to this 'Karin' girl.

Other thoughts drifted in and out his head while he ate quietly, things like controlling the nine-tails and what the future held. What was the Eight-Tails like? Was he like Gaara? Naruto continued to wonder throughout his meal. Not long after he'd finished and was on his way did another ninja approach him. "Hey, you're Naruto right? The hero of the invasion right?"

"Uh… yeah." he was a bit taken aback by what appeared to be a fan.

"Here, sign this would you? It's for my kid. He wants to be a great ninja like you one day."

"Umm…" Naruto was confused, this was someone who had no doubt hated him and told his son not to even ask who Naruto was… and now he wanted an autograph. _Why does this bother me so much? I don't want to do this right now… maybe when I've sorted this business with Karin out._ "I'm sorry, can it wait just a bit? I've got to go take care of something right away, I'll get back to you on it I promise." and he ran off without waiting for a reply or looking behind him. _Why did I do that? All he wanted was for me to sign something to his kid… but…_

Naruto shook the thoughts from his head. He'd sort that out after the matters at hand, but for right now, he had finally reached Sakura's home. As he approached he heard a loud crash and yelling. Worried that the girl was attacking Sakura, Naruto quickly opened the door and barged in. He was in a small hallway, a door to the right at the foot of some stairs and a small kitchen at the far end of the hall running alongside the stairs. "Sakura?" he asked tentatively, and heard a surprised yelp and she suddenly came into view from the nearby room on the right, her face red and clearly she was flustered about something. "Oh. Naruto. What're you doing here?"

"Uh… are you okay? I heard some loud noises and thought there might be trouble." Naruto was suddenly and uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was in Sakura's home uninvited and had let himself in. He blushed slightly but decided not to bring it up. _If she hasn't noticed, I'm in no hurry to point it out!_ and when she was about to start talking he added: "It's okay, I know that Karin girl is here too, you don't need to explain it, Granny-Tsunade already filled me in."

"Oh, well that's good… but Naruto you really shouldn't call her that. She's the Hokage after all." Sakura's frustration seemed to ebbing away, and Naruto was glad of that, but he was still curious as to what was going on and the awkward silence reminded Sakura he'd asked her a question. "Anyways, yeah, I'm fine. She's just being… well, to put it nicely: difficult."

Just then the red haired girl stepped out of the same room, roughly past Sakura as though establishing some kind of pecking-order. "It's just Karin ya know. Not 'That Karin Girl'. And I am not being difficult, you're just being stubborn!" She had rounded on Sakura and the two were face to face. Quickly the red color returned to Sakura's face as she got more flustered once again. Naruto just stared as the two resumed arguing, something about Karin being offensive and insensitive, something about Sakura being obsessive. Naruto tried to talk a few times unsuccessfully before pausing to think.

_Oh jeez, what have I gotten myself into here. Maybe I should just try to sneak out… replacement jutsu can be used for that right?_ He shook his head, he'd come here for a reason after all. _The best I can do now is just try to figure out what's going on and smooth it over._ "Um, don't mind me?" he said, idly scratching the back of his head nervously as he tried to get their attention.

The red-haired girl in the glasses turned back to him. "I don't. She's the one I mind. She keeps acting like I'm some kind of villain because I spent more time with Sasuke recently than she did. Like it is some kind of 'time equals relationship' nonsense." She said it so matter-of-factly that Naruto was a little confused as to the harshness of the statement.

"I did not! I was only saying that I knew him before you did and that you only knew him after Orochimaru poisoned his mind!" Sakura blurted out angrily.

"I keep telling you sweety, I saw him when he first arrived. He was badly beaten up, barely pulled himself in. Your handiwork I hear, Naruto, so don't feel bad, he barely won at all. I was put in charge of taking care of him from the moment he got there and let me tell you: he only changed **recently**. No matter what you want to argue, he's only recently become the Sasuke you claim you don't know." She folded her arms and straightened her glasses. Running a hand through the unkempt side of her red hair which Naruto observed was completely brushed and smooth on the other side. _Huh, interesting style, but it's neat. It's her own thing and she's not afraid to do it. I like that._ He snapped himself back to focusing on the argument as Sakura shouted.

"He was not! You don't know him at all! You don't understand anything he went through! I'll… We'll bring him back to Konoha, right Naruto?" she shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. Naruto started to answer but Karin cut him off before he could speak. He just went back to staring at the two of them, taking in the details of Karin while she wasn't half-dead on Kakashi's back.

"Listen Sakura, he doesn't want to come back unless it's to kill every man, woman, and child here. I saw everything that happened from where you left me and I'm a sensor so I didn't even need my eyes to tell me. You tried to kill him but lost the nerve, so you're just gonna have to own up to the fact that you don't know him at all, and maybe never did." Karin was frowning at this point, it was obvious she didn't like what she was saying one bit but felt compelled to say it anyway. Naruto could read in her expressions a feeling he knew all too well… resignation to a bitter and cruel truth. She had given up on Sasuke and was trying to convince Sakura to do the same thing. He was slightly repulsed and slightly touched by her efforts; there was genuine sincerity in her words and she meant well but they were rough and lacked any gentleness or sympathy.

Sakura opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. She repeated this nearly three times as the tears tumbled down her face and dripped onto the balled up fists she held in front of her as if to defend herself from the words. After another few seconds, Karin started to talk again but Sakura just shouted over her: "Shut up! It's not true!" and turned and ran up the stairs to her own room, unsuccessfully trying to avoid crying until after the door slammed shut. Naruto had a hand half reached in a feeble effort to stop her, and saw Karin had done the same. They both looked sort of nervously at each other and then lowered their hands. "She's… not doing well about all that… is she?" Karin asked and took off her glasses to clean them.

Naruto simply stared at her dark crimson eyes. _Those would be something that pervy old sage would tell me are a 'rare and delicious beauty'. Of course… he said that for just about any girl with a good figure._ "Ahem", she cleared her throat. Snapping back to focus on actually talking to her instead of staring, Naruto resumed scratching the back of his head. "Ya know she isn't… you don't need to ask me that. Then again, I don't think any of us are. His situation is a difficult one. It's only recently that I really understand it. Before then I wasn't handling it well either… but now… now I think I've got it." He nodded, more to himself than anyone.

She stared back at him, taking in his features, actually getting a chance to look at him while he wasn't a sickly green color after being poisoned by a friendly kunai. _He's so different from Sasuke. His features are bright, just like his chakra… and he actually smiles with warmth. That's a nice change of pace. I haven't seen a warm smile in years._ "umm…" She heard and snapped back to attention herself, realizing she'd been staring at him. "Well, I'm glad you've got an idea about it in your head. Personally, I've never seen anyone so deep in their darkness, and I've worked under the worst."

"I heard about that… Orochimaru must've been a terrible boss." Naruto mumbled.

"He had his moments… but don't they all? I imagine that Tsunade isn't much better at times. At least Orochimaru can't punch through a solid stone wall." She smirked as he involuntarily rubbed his nose at the memory of being punched. _So I was right! It was the Hokage's chakra I felt earlier and she was hitting something that turns out to be him. Ahhh that's how he found out about me. _Karin quickly pieced the situation together in her mind and watched as Naruto nodded embarrassedly.

"Well, you've got me there. I suppose you get used to most things after enough dealing with it." Naruto gestured with a hand, implying they talk elsewhere than the bottom of the stairs but Karin could tell it was more 'away from Sakura' than it being an 'awkward location'. He had a strange look on his face and she idly wondered what it was that he thought of Sakura. Something had happened between the two of them and she didn't know what, but it was a concern for later. She simply nodded, tucking away that information and curiosity in her mind for later, and walked out the front door, still open from when Naruto had come in to 'help'.

"So what are you here to talk to me for?" she asked, walking with an air of complete confidence as though she had summoned him to speak to her. Naruto followed, oblivious to her sauntering posture.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke." he said after closing the door behind him and looking up to make sure the windows above him were closed and didn't have Sakura staring out of them. _Probably not the best thing that she hears me talking about him too much. Not after what just happened and how she's been about all that lately._

"Damn, you sure don't beat around the bush do you?" she replied but took a seat on a nearby bench across the street. When he stood and stared at her, waiting for a reply still, she smiled. _He's a little slower than Sasuke, but I can see why he's popular. Endearing in a sort of puppy-like way._ "Over here stupid. I'm not gonna shout across the street at you." and she patted the bench.

Naruto shrugged and walked over, sitting on the opposite side with a flump and kicking his legs out. "So, wanna talk about Sasuke or no? And don't worry, I'm not like Ibiki or any of them, I just want to hear your tale told by you. I've known Sasuke ever since I became a Genin, and I was in the same team with him. I've also spent the better part of 3 years chasing after him…" he leaned back and stared at the clouds. "I just want to hear what he's up to. Maybe then I can understand what's been going on with his side of things."

"Hmmm" she mused for a moment, stalling while she considered whether or not to actually tell her own version of things as opposed to the hard-facts version she'd fed the scarred interrogator who she decided had to be 'Ibiki'. _He's straightforward about it. He also has an air of acceptance around him. _She closed her eyes and let her senses expand slightly too: _His chakra isn't reacting violently either so he's not bracing himself to be upset by the news. Huh… I guess he's actually resolved about all of this and just trying to prepare and understand as best he can. Admirable… _she opened her eyes with a start just as a darkness threatened her senses again. _What is that? What on Earth do I keep sensing in him?_

"Karin? Are you alright?" she realized he'd seen her startle and quickly composed herself.

"I'm fine, just getting used to this new place, so many different smells, sounds, and sights." she sighed. _I hope he buys that I wasn't sensing him…_

"Karin, that's silly, you had your eyes closed. Smells and sounds maybe, but sights?" Naruto chuckled as he said it and then started laughing outright after he'd finished. For all her effort to be angry at the lame pun, Karin found herself giggling too. It was silly but direct and honest. He hadn't found her out, but her excuse had been poorly worded she had to admit… and his laugher was contagious. _And… he's got a nice laugh. _As the laughter subsided, she stared at him and smiled.

"Okay, it all starts about three years ago." and she began to tell her story in earnest.

Elsewhere, Sakura lay facedown on her bed, limp and immobile aside from the occasional sob that shook her body. She had nothing left to cry with, drifting between being asleep and being awake. Both places her mind focused on the same thing: Sasuke. She tried not to think of all the recent events and news surrounding him but it came unbidden to her mind. _Attacked the Kage Summit… murdered Danzo… was about to murder his ally… tried to murder me… tried to murder Kakashi… nearly murdered me after I failed… tried to murder Naruto. _She groaned and sobbed again. It kept coming back to those same things. _Murderer, killer, madman, lunatic! Sasuke what happened to you! Why isn't anything enough?_ she hugged her pillow, still crying into it, the thing was ruined and would need to be washed for all the tears in it now.

Nearly ten minutes later the only thing that had changed was now she was sitting upright, head hung as she held the old Team 7 photo. "Sasuke…" she whispered and again tried to write him off in her mind unsuccessfully. _He's gone! He's not coming back! He doesn't want you or even care if you live! Nothing you can do can possibly hope to save him! You saw how he stared through you like you weren't even there! Your efforts are even going to get your friends killed!_ she whimpered, the cruel truth of the matter sent a fresh wave of tears falling onto the glass of the picture frame.

A few tear-filled minutes later and Sakura had set the frame down on the floor. "I'm… I'm… I'm…" she whimpered, trying to nerve herself for what she was about to do. _No! Don't back down now! You know what you have to do! Cast aside everything about 'him'. 'He' doesn't exist anymore! Just do your best to help your real friends take him down! If you keep this up you'll get them killed and then he'll kill you!_ she shook her head, hands clenched in her hair. "I'm sorry Sasuke!" she shouted and drove a chakra-filled heel-kick into the picture on the floor.

The frame smashed apart, the glass was crushed into dust, and the jagged chakra of her teary-state dissolved the photograph. It was done. The Team 7 photograph was gone. She stood up and wiped the tears off her face, straightened and brushed her hair and then left the room, muttering to herself as she went: "Naruto… I won't let you die with him, Konoha needs you." She didn't even bother to clean up the dusty remains of the photo. It didn't matter anymore. It was only a memory, and one she had no intention of recalling ever again.

For all his simplicities, Karin had to admit, there was no audience like Naruto. His openness and directness meant he laughed at the right times (although the ones at her own inconvenience only took two instances of menacing growls before he learned to keep his reaction at those to a light chuckle), he stayed quiet at the right times, and he knew when to press for more details or let certain details slide. All in all, by the time Karin had finished she had told her tale with such enthusiasm that she felt a little embarrassed concluding it with: "And then you came in."

"Mmm" was his only reply, a noise of affirmation before he continued, "Yeah, thank you. That was interesting and pretty much confirmed my guesses about how things happened. Although that Jugo guy sounds pretty tough to handle! For all the bad stuff about it, I guess Sasuke's 'killing intent' you called it had a really good effect huh?"

Karin stared at the sky, leaned back now as she'd seen Naruto do before. Surprisingly, it was uncomfortable in numerous ways, but the view of the clouds was too good to pass up and more than compensated for the discomfort. _Huh… hadn't thought about it that way. I guess I was too busy going all mushy over how 'cool' he was, but Naruto is right. Jugo was much better at controlling himself after only a short while with Sasuke._ She turned and stared at him while he stared up, Naruto having adopted the same position of staring at clouds.

"That Suigetsu guy though, sounds like a total pain. I know a guy like him, always posturing and trying to get ahead of himself. Though he's reliable in a pinch. Yeah, gotta give them credit on that one. Even the real annoying ones can't help but show their true colors from time to time… and they're always bright colors." he smiled and again Karin found herself fascinated by his optimism and perspective. _He could find the silver lining of the storm-cloud that just blew apart his house._ She stared but then asked, "Who was it?"

"What?" he seemed to have been lost in his own memories for a moment.

"The guy like Suigetsu." she replied.

"Oh… well…" and he proceeded to explain to her all about Kiba Inuzuka. Starting first with his fight in the Chuunin Exams, then talking about the failed rescue attempt of Sasuke (filling in what he'd heard about Kiba's ordeal during it), then talking about how Kiba had tried to deal with Madara and his "epic failure" when Madara dodged his attack with one slow step of the way. He also talked about how Kiba was always trying to look tough but frequently wound up in positions that made him look foolish. Karin had laughed at how Naruto had defeated Kiba and at how Madara had dodged him.

"You're right. That's just like Suigetsu. He really saved us against the Eight-Tails. Without him we'd have been done for." She found she missed Jugo and well… wished she could send a postcard to Suigetsu… with no return address. She giggled, "You're not what I expected, you know?"

"Huh?"

"Well, Sasuke did talk about you from time to time. Always talking about how much you annoyed him and how you always managed to get stronger in a haphazard kind of way. He always made it sound like you were one of the most difficult people to stomach being around. The more I think about it and the more I talk to you, the more I realize that's just how Sasuke thought of everyone." She sat up and straightened her glasses again, they'd started to slip in her leaned back posture. When she turned and looked she saw Naruto was sitting hunched over and had a very serious expression that kind of unnerved her.

"Karin… I'll bring him back. For Sakura, for Kakashi, for everyone in Konoha and for you too. I'll bring him back. I gave my word and I never go back on it. That's my ninja way. I know you heard me tell him that when we fought we'd both die. Well… I mean it. If I can't bring him back, I'll give my life to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else. If I can't save even one dear friend then I don't deserve to stick around anyway… least of all become Hokage. I'll show everyone in the world that revenge and hatred can be stopped, and then the peace, the dream of too many dear people," his eyes started to tear up slightly, "and my own dream too… will be a reality. I won't let them down. I'll put an end to this cycle of hatred, and I'll start with Sasuke." He had said it with such intensity that Karin hadn't even blinked or noticed her glasses slipping. She was awestruck by his determination and his charisma. He wiped away the wetness in his eyes and stared upward again without leaning back.

_This is someone who can lead… people will follow that kind of determination anywhere_._ There's so much more to you than you let on, Naruto._ She smiled and could feel the overwhelmingly warm and positive chakra pouring off of him. She didn't have to close her eyes or focus to sense it, but decided to do it anyway to let it warm her soul even more than it already did. When she focused on him though, that terrible darkness again was there. This time, she stared at it for a moment until she 'felt' it roar. It was a primal, terrifying roar full of hatred and destruction like she'd never felt before… except once. It was nearly the same as Sasuke's chakra when he'd fully awakened that awful power of his when fighting his old teacher, that brief surge of absolute evil. The only difference was that this felt more wild, more unfocused. Whereas Sasuke was pure darkness and evil, this felt more of rage and hatred.

She opened her eyes and looked away, a perplexed look on her face as she thought long and hard. _What is that? Does he have the same evil potential as Sasuke? Could he possibly go down that path as well? Is that what is waiting if he fails to save his friend? Naruto… has Sasuke's darkness infected you…?_ She resolved herself to keep monitoring him. If anything, she owed it to the first person to be genuinely nice to her since she'd been brought to Konoha.

Nearly a week had passed since she arrived in Konoha. Karin had decided that she liked it here, though originally claiming to have not been given much of a choice. Naruto had been the one to break that excuse apart quickly by asking: "Well, where would you go if you could choose?" When her answer had inevitably (after much stalling) been 'nowhere', Naruto had coaxed it out of her to admit she liked the place.

He had been with her for much of the week, showing her around, taking her to eat ramen too many times, and introducing her to people. At first she'd complained, but when she realized that getting a friendly introduction from the local hero would ease the process of making friends, she had relented. A lot of Naruto's friends welcomed her with the phrase: "A friend of Naruto's is a friend of ours… after we get to know you better." It had made her giggle. Apparently they trusted Naruto's instinct more than his wisdom and intelligence. Which was, in her opinion, fair enough.

Meeting Kiba had been interesting, she'd had to watch herself very carefully. Naruto had been quick to remind her that he, like Suigetsu, probably wouldn't handle it well if he knew Naruto had talked about him in a favorable-yet-unfavorable way. Naruto had also wanted to introduce her to a friend named Neji Hyuga but had decided against it at the last moment. When she'd asked him why, he'd argued that a noble family probably wouldn't want to associate with someone who was technically a captive. She could tell he was covering something up, but his reason wasn't any less valid so she accepted it for now. The most confusing of Naruto's friends was Sai. After calling her "two-hair" which she didn't get was his attempt a nickname, Naruto was forced to intercede and explain more about Sai. Oddly enough, right in front of Sai; in fact, Sai had helped in the explanation. It was a very weird encounter, but she decided she liked Sai. He was interesting and she sympathized with his past. She hoped to be good friends with him one day which had made Naruto very happy because he admitted he wanted Sai to make more friends.

All in all, Karin found herself enjoying Konoha more and more. This was what she'd been missing all those years without ever realizing it. An actual life… not always on the run from someone or something. Not always under the watchful eyes of cruel superiors or being stared up at by eyes begging for mercy she could never grant. Control of her life was back in her hands… mostly.

Those were the two things she disliked about Konoha… her caretaker and the fact that she apparently still needed one. Sakura wasn't a bad person by any stretch of the imagination, but she bothered Karin. She was in denial about herself and kept switching her personality around. She didn't know what Sakura's relationship had been like with Sasuke, but it had scarred her badly. The other girl Naruto had introduced her to, Ino, seemed to have gone through the same thing; but accepted that it was just a girlish crush and gotten over it. She even hinted that she had developed a new love interest that she wouldn't divulge. Sakura, on the other hand had drifted into the realm of obsession and couldn't find her way back; even refusing any help in doing so.

It was hard to live under the supposedly necessary conditions of staying with Sakura. Even though in recent days she'd gotten better… it was a 'creepy better'. Lately it was like Sasuke had never been her friend and it unnerved Karin. Every time she mentioned the name, Sakura flew into a rage about him being a missing-nin that should be brought to justice. All the same, she had decided early on to stop trying to analyze or help Sakura. The more she probed and tried to help, the more Sakura behaved strangely.

Karin also had long since grown tired of explaining the collar that everyone eventually found out about despite her hiding it under her clothes as best she could. She decided Konoha was her home now, and was sitting in the ramen stand Naruto liked so much when she decided it was time to do something about the collar.

"You like it here too huh?" a male voice said from behind her, just now entering the ramen stand. She spun in her chair and saw a brown-haired man with a ponytail and a large scar across the bridge of his nose walk in. She stared at him for a moment before he held out a hand. "Iruka Umino." he said as she awkwardly shook his hand in a very unfeminine gesture while he continued talking, "And don't try to hide it. I can see the 'Naruto-Effect' all over you. You hated this place at first right? Now you find you like it and can't stay away. Don't worry, you aren't the first person he's done it to. Though, don't tell anybody, but I did it to him!" he laughed while the chefs nodded knowingly. Apparently the "Naruto-Effect" wasn't an unfamiliar concept to them either.

She smiled, despite his somewhat blunt nature, he seemed to be a very good judge of character. _And damn it, he's right, I visit this place a lot now. Well, might as well ask him since he's clearly a ninja here in Konoha, maybe a jounin?_ She drew a deep breath as he sat next to her. "I don't suppose you could tell me more about Naruto…" _Crap! That's not what I'm asking about!_ she quickly amended her statement before he could reply, the surprise in him evident about her question, "but more importantly, I don't suppose there's any way I can stop wearing this collar?"

He grinned. "Well, I'll answer the more important question first then, shall I?"

_What does the future of Karin's life in Konoha hold? Iruka holds the answers!_

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.1/END


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you, everyone, for the excellent encouragement and for the praise. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that people actually -like- something I've written. That doesn't mean I only want positive praise though, and in recognition of Kurtulmak's and Nezumi0505's eloquent, well-formed, and genuinely insightful review, I'm going to respond in depth to them here. This isn't showing favoritism (All the reviews so far have been great! Here's hoping I get more!), just showing respect for a well-thought-out review. Kurtulmak and Nezumi0505's review is a shining example of how to present critiques in a helpful and friendly way.

Responses to Kurtulmak:

Regarding Sakura - I feel like she's not really suffered the appropriate amount of emotional backlash that she should, in fact, be feeling based on her actions. She's outright crying uncontrollably while she healed Karin and this is something Karin noticed. She hasn't been able to do anything towards Sasuke ever since he first left with the Sound Four. Since then there have been dozens of helpless moments for her. Even when facing Sasori she would've been defeated easily without the help of Chiyo and while, yes, she was potent during that fight, her growth has been tremendously limited by the increasingly fierce nature of her competition and enemies. Don't forget she also was wounded by the four-tails-naruto form unable to really comprehend it or even 'talk him down' from it. I feel a lot like she has an 'emotional come-uppance' that she is due and hasn't received.

I understand what you say though, and no, she isn't simply a romantic-villain to make the plot more interesting. As I mentioned before, this is intended to be a conclusive work and so there will be conflict between Sasuke, Madara, Kabuto, Zetsu, and etc. There are 'main' villains so to speak, it's just that in the early chapters while those villains are quietly marshalling themselves, we're focusing more on what's going on with Karin rather than what's going on with the aftermath effects of the Kage-Summit Attack. So! With that in mind, while Sakura IS going to get a rough draw for a little while, she may very well have an important role to play in the future as well. Currently, however, she has to undergo a crisis of self to reemerge as a character. As I said before, apologies, but this fic is not gentle with her as I feel the manga has been pretty lenient on her as far as emotional/psychological trauma she's enduring. Also, good eye on noting her as Tsunade's 'tragic' Successor. That's an extremely acute observation and I hadn't figured anyone would notice I was doing something similar [though don't count her out just yet!].

Regarding Karin's behavior - This is a thing I would normally agree with you on, but given Karin's current situation, I imagine would be different. Right now she's away from a position of power that she's been used to for a while. Whereas she was once a valued subordinate of Orochimaru (although that doesn't say much for career safety or health) who had watch over a prison complex, now she is a battle-captive in a village of ninja who have very negative feelings for both of her former masters. So playing nice for right now, probably a good idea. She's still a little thorny around people when she can, but for right now, probably not a good idea to antagonize the people who could've just as easily killed her or locked her away forever. Though seriously Tsundere, Karin is also rather clever in my opinion and so she'd know to bring it in a bit until people were more accepting of her. Her antagonism around Suigetsu and Jugo was also, in my opinion, a lot more based on her previous position of effectively being their warden. They were both previously prisoners and so she had an air of haughty superiority compounding her dislike of them with her attraction to Sasuke and them being a distraction to that goal. Unfortunately, there's not much basis for comparison. We've only really seen her interact with a few people. At the Kage Summit and in Akatsuki she was in such an outclassed power-scale that (unless I'm forgetting things) she stayed quiet, hid her chakra, or just remained backgound-noise that supported Sasuke.

Regarding a Sai encounter - Just be patient! More interactions are coming, chapter 1 was +10k words alone!

Responses to Nezumi0505:

Regarding Tsunade telling Naruto - Firstly, I want to point out that Tsunade wasn't AT the Kage Summit. Danzo was there instead and so Tsunade didn't hear the whole "Don't tell Naruto" speech. Also, Tsunade has a good deal of faith in Naruto as the last thing she saw prior to her comatose state was Naruto opposing Pain. She's also heard a second-hand account of Naruto's antics during the Kage Summit. Simply put, she's come to the conclusion that if Naruto knows, they can at least better predict if/when he'll try to go off on his own. At least this way, she figures, he won't feel betrayed and wrongly-sheltered by his friends when he found out if they were hiding it. Also, Tsunade can impress the importance of his training and controlling the 9-tails given the nature of the looming threat. I guess I just decided Tsunade would use looming war as a motivation to get him training even harder and more seriously. Especially since she remembered how hard he trained to master nature manipulation with Sasuke looming over him.

Lastly, not so sure if I'm as satisfied with this chapter as I was with the previous ones. I apologize if there are a few more grammatical mistakes in this one or perhaps some spelling inconsistencies or omitted words. Posting it while sick and can't bring myself to give it the full level of proofreading I normally do. Anyways, here's hoping you all enjoy it just as much as you liked the first chapter and here's hoping for even more reviews!

**End Author's Notes**

**

* * *

**

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 2: _Genins

Karin stood on a grassy field near Konoha, one of the many training grounds they used outside the village to minimize damage from powerful techniques in use or development. Karin smirked at the thought, under Orochimaru one trained wherever they wanted with collateral damage being a very small concern. She stood roughly fifteen feet away from Iruka Umino, the man she'd met at the Ichiraku Ramen. He'd brought her out here after they'd talked for a few minutes about removing her collar. She wondered if he'd forgotten her accidentally blurted comment about Naruto, but a knowing smile on his face made it clear that he hadn't. "Okay, so why are we out here?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest with an impatient foot tap.

"Well, this is sort of a preliminary check. You want the collar off, and I have an idea for a way to maybe do just that." He smiled broadly, clearly relishing what he was about to say before adding it, "and if you humor me, I'll talk about Naruto."

She growled in response, her foot losing its tap as she held back from angrily stomping it to help make her point, still fuming over her slip. "Fine, so what's your idea, and this isn't because of Naruto, so drop it!" she felt her face flush with anger and embarrassment.

"Well, it goes like this… the only way to get that collar off would be to make yourself an asset to Konoha, otherwise, you'll always be considered a risk before a civilian since you have a record. Ah… how can I say it… you've worked with Akatsuki and Orochimaru… you've got abilities… you can't just go and live the quiet civilian life. Your options are battle-captive or ninja and only one of those means no collar." He shrugged, as though not liking it, but being honest.

"Hmm, a very good point." She nodded, suddenly taking an analytical approach and realizing he was right. She straightened her glasses, "but why am I out here then?"

"Because I have to see what you can do. If you want to become a Konoha ninja, then I need to know what kind of skills you've got and where you are in terms of ability. Maybe you're already Chuunin level, but maybe you're barely academy pre-Genin material."

"Uhm… don't you have records of that…?" she sighed as she contemplated the people she'd met and heard about… _Oh lord, is Konoha nothing but those "discover your true self through fighting" type people?_

"Yeah, we do, but you can't know someone's true potential and self until you've fought!" he responded cheerily as she suddenly hung her head with a very dismayed look on her face. "Uh… something wrong…?"

She shook her head without looking up at him, unable to decide between being repulsed by or laughing outright at him. When she recovered she finally shook her head again and looked up at him. "No, I'm alright, so how do we begin?"

"Well, to keep things simple, let's just take it one step at a time. First, we'll start with Taijutsu. Show me what you've got, I'll let you on the offense first before I test your defense. Oh, and go ahead and use any Taijutsu enhancing techniques you've got. Don't hold anything back!" He adopted a combat ready stance and waited for her to attack.

_Damn, I'm awful at Taijutsu… _she thought, remembering the simple kick Danzo had defeated her with earlier._ What a 'fun' way to start, time to make a terrible first impression…_ she cursed under her breath but lunged at him. _This is going to be a long day…_

Sakura checked the clock in her surprisingly quiet home. Karin hadn't come back at the scheduled time and suddenly the reason for the quiet was no longer quite as surprising. Karin had never liked the 'schedule' that Sakura had imposed, but she had at least respected it up until now. "Now how am I supposed to watch after that girl if she doesn't follow the schedule we agreed on?" of course, Sakura said 'agree' but Karin had not had much input or control over the schedule; it basically suited Sakura's convenience and ignored Karin's. "Well, guess she's decided to break the rules… no surprise there from someone who worked for Akatsuki and Orochimaru." she said aloud to no one in particular, merely venting frustration. She stood and slipped on her gloves, "Oh well, can't say it took too long for me to have to rein her in…" Sakura picked up the tracking device from her desk and flipped it on before leaving to go find her 'wayward' charge.

Karin panted for breath while Iruka made some notes on a clipboard he'd brought with him. "Poor performance in Taijutsu, mediocre Genjutsu, mediocre Ninjutsu… tell me, did you ever train in those fields to be a ninja?"

She caught her breath slowly and straightened herself back up, not wanting to talk while hunched over, "Well of course not, I was a researcher and a lab assistant. I barely saw daylight, let alone combat. Sure I put down a few overanxious prisoners but beating up a malnourished prisoner doesn't really count as good practice." she paused and then reflected for a moment on her past. "Besides, Orochimaru never trained anyone he wasn't planning to possess anyway… he kept Suigetsu locked in a frigging tank for crying out loud."

Iruka scratched his chin, "Well, I don't know much about that, but you have a point. Okay, so I've heard you're a sensor and a medic-type. So let's see that next." He smiled but it vanished quickly when she bared her arm and he saw bite marks. "Is that…?"

She nodded slowly, "It's a technique that lets another person drain my chakra into themselves at a rapid rate that also heals wounds. Unfortunately, it always leaves these marks, I've never figured out a way to heal them completely." her head hung a bit and she shifted her eyes away, as though ashamed by them. _That's odd, why am I bothered by that? Normally it doesn't phase me one bit…_ Iruka just stared for a few moments before she continued. "It's a technique that was developed by Kabuto Yakushi, obviously the bastard tested it on someone else. He wasn't satisfied with the results so it hasn't been seen since. As far as I know I'm the only one capable of doing this." She pulled her sleeve back down over her arm, hiding the bite marks again and looking away, unable to meet his eyes.

"That's a horrible technique." Karin sighed as Iruka scolded her, she'd heard that before. No one ever just let it slide… but he continued in a strict tone, "If you want my support in getting your collar removed, promise not to use it anymore. That seems like it could have very bad long-term effects and we don't condone those kind of jutsu in Konoha."

Karin stared, wide-eyed, at Iruka. What he'd said was the last thing she'd expected, most people she'd been around only thought of that technique as useful and more or less ignored her opinion on the matter. "Uh-h-h…" she stammered for a response, but Iruka waved a hand and shook his head.

"We received a lot of information from that Kabuto guy a while back… maybe I'll ask the Hokage look it over, she's a talented medical expert and may be able to do so something about that technique… if it's in there." He seemed genuinely concerned while Karin continued to be baffled at his concern over something that everyone else had always considered a trifling matter.

She nodded sheepishly, unsure of just how to respond while he jotted another note on his clipboard. "As far as your sensory ability?" he added after he finished writing, looking expectantly towards her. "I won't ask you to demonstrate it, obviously you can't really see something like that, but let me hear how yours works. I've heard it's the strongest sensory technique in the entire ninja world."

She puzzled for a moment as to how to explain it but then slowly began to describe her technique - Mind's Eye of the Kagura. At several points, Iruka stopped her to ask for more details, and she obliged: knowing the technique made little sense in the same capacity as explaining color to a blind person. Eventually he understood, as best he could, how it worked that she could see chakra itself and use any fluctuations or changes to determine the emotions, mental state, and physical condition of the person she looked at.

"Hmm, kind of like the Byakugan, unless you can see through their eyes, you don't know what their vision is like. Also has the same kind of 'unusually large' range… it works up close in a wide field, but can be narrowed or focused over an enormous distance." Iruka continued talking and Karin felt mildly surprised he'd reveal things about the Byakugan so easily. _Things I already knew… but still, kind of odd, I guess he's serious about accepting me then?_ She mused while he talked, only half listening to him while she herself considered whether or not becoming a Konoha ninja would really work for her.

"That's it! I've got an idea for you to improve your taijutsu remarkably!" Iruka slapped a fist into his other hand. "Any ninja gathers chakra to their fists or feet when they move across difficult surfaces or when they attack. Naturally some of us are better at it than others…" he seemed to shudder as if afraid when he mentioned it; Karin remembered that Tsunade, the Hokage, used precision chakra control to achieve truly enormous strength.

He shook himself visibly and continued while Karin stared. _He's obviously seen that Herculean strength in action… or felt it firsthand. Well, I guess all of the Sannin are rough on their subordinates._ She snapped out of her reverie with a start when she realized he'd asked if she "understood his idea". Taking a moment to consider whether it'd work, she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It'd only work with someone who used a lot of chakra for such purposes. It'd be much harder to perceive clear enough what attack a normal person had in mind next."

"That's not true, it'd just be easier to learn against someone like that. With practice you could watch for chakra very precisely. Think about it, even if they were attempting to feint you could read where they were storing their strength! With enough practice you could fight with an almost flawless foresight until they unraveled your technique!" He continued on, not hearing her complaints or arguments against it.

"Well-" she started to acknowledge the idea but was cut off as she was forced to leap backwards landing off balance and stumbling to her knees, surprised by a sudden hostile presence intruding on her senses. Barely a second later, she saw only a pink flash before the ground she'd just occupied had exploded apart, fissures running several feet in every direction and a dust cloud hovering over the impact area. Karin couldn't quite make out who it was through the dust, but with her signature technique quickly discerned the nature of her assailant. "My my, is it past 3:25 already Sakura?"

The dust cleared and the pink-haired Haruno Sakura stood in the slight crater of her impact, drawing her fist back and shaking the dirt and dust off the glove. "Don't get coy with me, captive." Sakura stressed the last bit, not bothering to use Karin's name and making sure Karin knew it. "You violated your curfew. Trying to escape? Report to Akatsuki? Doesn't really matter, I've got to bring you in now."

Iruka ran forward, shouting to get Sakura's attention despite the deathly quiet that had settled over the training ground after her powered punch. "No no! She's out here because I asked her to come out here. I didn't know about any schedule! I'm just evaluating her abilities!"

Sakura turned, a surprised look on her face before it fell back into a hardened battle mask again. "Hmf, she's probably holding back to keep secret techniques hidden." Karin started to shake her head and Iruka looked surprised and unconvinced at Sakura's logic. "Well then Karin, I'm going to come at you. Fight for your life, because if you don't… I'll kill you."

"Woah now Sakura! That's too much!" Iruka started forward but Sakura held out a gloved-hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry Iruka, but we need to know what she can really do. I'm not going to let anyone endanger Konoha."

"That's taking it too far! We don't need to go this far! This isn't right!" Iruka again started to advance on Sakura. Karin stared at the conflict dumbfounded. _What is going on here? Sakura's taking this too far and even her fellow ninja know it… only one way out of this…!_

"Okay. I'll fight you Sakura." Karin went into a battle ready posture and nerved herself, letting her sensory focus drop to solely centered on Sakura. _Hopefully Iruka's idea works… otherwise this'll be a short fight._

"No no, you don't have to do this Karin!" Iruka shouted on deaf ears as Sakura fell into a combat stance of her own.

"It's okay Iruka, she agreed to it." but the man ran forward anyway and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder to stop her. Sakura, already intent on her task quickly spun and punched him just below the chest. It forced the air out of his lungs and he fell to the ground wheezing. "It's for Konoha's good Iruka, my apologies."

Karin frowned, but knew that sensing the chakra in her hands and feet would be the only way to survive this encounter… for a little bit. So she decided rather than go on the offensive, she'd goad Sakura into attacking her carelessly. _I can only hope that she'll get so flustered she doesn't realize how I'm dodging… if it works_. "So is this a common thing for you to do Sakura? Betray your allies and attack your friends? Sounds a lot like you should be the one getting reined in, not me." Karin pitched her voice with a large amount of scorn and haughty spite.

Sakura rounded slowly on Karin, glaring and gritting her teeth in barely contained fury. Her fists were clenched angrily and she replied with a growl of hatred. "What… did… you say to me…?"

_Time to really set the bait on the hook… I just wish I wasn't the bait._ "I said," Karin began, talking like she had to explain herself to a child, "that hurting your supposed friends seems to be a favorite past time of yours."

Sakura shrieked in anger, the meaning of her words lost behind her uncontrollable rage and charged forward towards Karin. _Here she comes…_ and Karin did the unthinkable: she closed her eyes. Sakura, already lost in her rage, thought the red-haired girl was mocking her. The pink-haired girl's fist, with enough concentrated chakra to shatter a boulder into dust, surged outward towards Karin's face with full intent to kill driving it.

Karin felt the intense energy coming towards her and shifted to the side gently; not wasting any motion to leap out of the way and break her focus in the process. She heard Sakura's hateful growl at her attack missing and could sense yet another concentrated mass of chakra hurtling towards her. Again she dodged another blow, and another, and another. _Iruka's idea works…!_ she thought in surprise at the fact that she was able to dodge someone obviously more skilled in taijutsu than she was.

Blow after blow flashed towards Karin and were dodged with seemingly no effort, much to Sakura's mounting rage. Her face was red with fury at the fact that her opponent had her eyes closed and was dodging with barely any motion. Overcome with anger, her chakra flared up even more than before and she poured it into both of her fists and feet before resuming her attack even more frenzied than before.

_Shit! She's really upped her attacks. At this rate I'm not gonna be able to-gkt!_ Karin's thoughts were interrupted as a blow clipped her side and sent her spinning off-balance. It also disrupted her focus and her eyes opened in time to see a spinning kick land against her chest and hurl her backwards. Her vision blurred, it felt like something in her chest had cracked and she could barely draw in breath. She was only dimly aware of when she hit the ground, the sensations were distant and minute in comparison to the shortness of breath and the pain in her chest. She coughed as she tried to draw in breath and felt blood on her lips, her eyes opening again as she shook off the disorienting sensations of having been thrown by the kick.

She opened her eyes and saw Sakura lunge forward, a hand closing around her neck tightly. "Guhh!" Karin grabbed feebly at Sakura's hand, trying to remove it from her throat unsuccessfully. She tried to turn her head to see if Iruka had recovered yet but the man was still trying to stumble to his feet; Sakura had really dealt him a powerful blow. She heard his feeble protests towards Sakura but the pink-haired girl ignored him and with a triumphant expression pulled back a fist, aiming it at Karin's face.

"Guess this is all you've got? Go on! Show me what you're hiding you cocky bitch!" Sakura's fist flew forward with cruel speed and intent towards Karin's face. Karin closed her eyes for the blow, knowing it'd be enough to kill her and not wanting to see it hit; only hoping it'd be mercifully quick and painless. _This is the end for me? I didn't think she'd be the one… but it's funny… the last time I was here, I just wanted to see Sasuke's face again and I didn't mind… but now… now I mind… Not Sasuke's,… but I want to see __**his**__ face again…_ Karin's thoughts went unbidden towards her own impending doom and a single tear rolled down the side of her face as she felt a strong wind pressure and braced herself as best she could. Suddenly, the tension in her throat released instantly. She slowly opened her eyes, almost afraid to look as though Sakura might be teasing her cruelly.

"That's enough Sakura. I don't know why you're doing this, but that's enough." Karin heard the voice just as her vision cleared up enough to see the unmistakable figure of Naruto standing over her. One hand around Sakura's wrist, holding back the punch directed towards her. Something was different about him, she could barely make it out, but his eyes looked… orange around the edges with a strange bar-shaped pupil? She didn't know. It wasn't important in her mind at the moment either.

"N-…Naruto…" Karin started to say, but he shook his head swiftly.

"Karin, don't try to talk for the moment. Just stay there." She was all too happy to oblige him as she stopped trying to sit up, still drawing in ragged breaths and now rubbing her throat and clutching her chest as well. Sakura's face was unreadable. She kept trying to mouth a reply of some kind but nothing came out. "Sakura. Go home. You need a break from all this. Go home and take the week off. I'll clear it with Granny-Tsunade." Sakura looked as though she'd been visibly struck; her face was bunched up as though torn between going into another rage and crying. Without another word she spun and stomped away angrily. Naruto's sigh was audible in its despair; he was clearly displeased by the role he'd just been forced to play. Slowly he turned back to Karin, still lying on the ground; she blushed, realizing just how helpless she looked on her back. He extended a hand to help her up and she hesitated for a moment to straighten her glasses and get a better look at him before finally accepting his hand and being hoisted up. The strange things she'd seen with his eyes were gone… was that just a fluke of her glasses being crooked?

"You okay?" he asked her with concern in his voice.

"Um… y-yeah…" she stammered, before looking over to Iruka who, despite sitting on his knees still trying to recover, was grinning broadly at the way her face was red after being helped up by Naruto. "You should help him, I'll be fine!" she quickly yelled and pointed to Iruka whose smile vanished quickly. Naruto turned and realized Iruka had been sitting there for the first time since he arrived.

"Oh, Iruka. Are you alright?"

"Ngh… yeah, but what was her deal? She could be in a lot of trouble for all this." Iruka let Naruto help him to his feet and dusted himself off. "I'll take responsibility for watching Karin for now. Those two obviously don't go together like Ibiki had hoped." He walked past Naruto and leaned close to Karin. "Don't worry, I won't tell him."

She snapped back and quickly shook her head, shouting: "Tell him 'what' exactly!"

"Tell who what?" Naruto chimed in, but Iruka only smiled and waved it off before continuing. "Let's go somewhere else. I'm done out here for a while and could use a nice place to sit and relax."

Naruto's face beamed and everyone knew what his next words where going to be well before he said them… "How about some Ichiraku Ramen?"

"So based on what I saw, I'd say you more than qualify to be automatically inducted as Genin." Iruka said between mouthfuls of ramen. He seemed generally pleased by his statement and added, "that technique idea of mine worked like a charm too. You really should consider developing it more if you wanna stand out from the rest though. That and we should figure out what kind of nature your chakra has." He was jotting more things down as he ate and he wasn't even looking up from his food or his paper to see the disgruntled expression on Karin's face. Naruto, however, was not the most oblivious in the group for once and saw it.

"What's wrong Karin?" he asked, concern creasing his face.

She didn't answer immediately, her chopsticks angrily stabbing the food in front of her. _A Genin! That's it? I served under Orochimaru and Akatsuki! My sensor technique makes me Chuunin-level alone!_ She growled angrily. "I just don't think I'd like being so low rank…" she mumbled in response and instantly regretted it when she saw the hurt look on Naruto's face.

"Is Genin really so bad…? Ya know… I'm still a Genin…" Naruto mumbled slightly, looking away.

Karin looked at Iruka who was busy yammering on and taking notes before she looked back at Naruto again quickly. "I… I didn't know." she stuttered, trying to think of something to say before slamming her hands down on the counter, standing up defiantly and shouting, "I want to become a Konoha Ninja!"

Naruto looked back, eyes wide in surprise and Iruka had his head tilted down so she couldn't see it and smirked broadly. "Finding out he was a Genin too didn't make it quite so bad huh?" he whispered quietly to himself as Karin realized her outburst was drawing quite a bit of attention and sat back down quickly. Naruto looked too shocked to stay offended anymore and she smiled at it. _Good, I hadn't meant to upset him. Guess I was just being prideful… after all, if Danzo could defeat me with a single kick, maybe a Konoha Genin is a lot stronger than other country's Chounins or even Jounins._

Iruka looked up again and stood up, turning to face Karin. "Well hell, I never imagined I'd make a habit of giving away my forehead protector… but…" he started to reach up and untie the one he wore. Karin held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry, I know you want to do that now, but uhhhmmm…" she leaned in close and whispered something to him. Naruto stared as Iruka nodded a few times and then snickered only to get punched in the arm repeatedly.

"Ow ow ow! Okay! I understand! Geez, why am I getting hit by girls so much today?" He laughed it off and rubbed his arm. Naruto only stared perplexed as Iruka nodded again when Karin pressed him for confirmation. "Yeah yeah, I'll make sure you get one like that. I just wanted to let you know that you've got my full approval. I'm an academy instructor after all, I can graduate anyone whom I deem fit at any time. Just ask Naruto over there. He graduated in quite an unusual manner of his own!"

Naruto beamed at the memory and quickly started to tell the story without being asked. Karin listened with a fascinated look on her face as Naruto told his tale about how he first had learned kagebunshin and how he had made his first 'real friend' in Konoha. While she listened, Iruka quietly jotted a few notes and signaled a friend walking by to deliver a few messages for him. As Naruto finished his story, Iruka smirked at the realization that Karin hadn't noticed anything he'd done; she was listening to Naruto with rapt attention.

As the tale concluded, Iruka nodded to Karin and Naruto. "Alright, time for me to take her to go and get her headband. I'll also look after her during that time so Sakura is no longer her caretaker and won't get in trouble for it. Naruto, you should go and talk to the Hokage about all this, she'll know what to do about Sakura." He nodded again. "Let's go Karin."

She turned to Naruto and said, "See you around! Next time I'll be a Genin too hopefully!" She beamed widely and Naruto returned the smile happily.

"Can't wait, but don't get any big ideas, I'm going to be the next Hokage!" He gave a thumbs up to them as the two left. He had a large smile on his face, full of pride, until he turned back towards the ramen and realized Iruka had left him to foot the bill. "Whaa!" it was the first time Iruka had not treated him and now he had three empty bowls and the chef was eyeing him expectantly. He groaned loudly and reached for his familiar frog wallet, ready to empty it once more.

"Would you stop fidgeting!" one of the Konoha ninja demanded.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" Karin immediately apologized, she had been sitting impatiently in a chair in front of a large table behind which sat five ninja including Iruka. It was in an unused classroom and she sat by herself under the close scrutiny of the five other ninja. She had been trying to get comfortable in a chair designed to deny that very thing while the others reviewed Iruka's notes and asked her the occasional question. _Just get on with it! It's been nearly an hour already!_ she thought angrily, wondering if this was a test of her patience.

"As I was saying," the man continued with a frustrated tone, "you fully renounce your old affiliations and swear to defend and work towards the good of Konoha?"

"I do." she intoned as she had done many times before for similar questions from the other ninja overseeing her ersatz graduation. _Just hurry up with it! I want to see if Iruka really got the thing I asked for…_

The group of ninja looked at each other, whispering quietly amongst themselves for an unbearably long time before finally nodding slowly. "Alright. We have come to an agreement." They shuffled their paperwork together and passed it along, each one stamping a form on the top of the stack and passing it to the next as it made its way from one end to the other. Iruka was at the far end and added another stamp to it before pulling out a box. With a large grin he opened it up and said warmly, "Karin, please stand."

Karin, excited, rose to her feet so fast the chair behind her fell over with a clatter. Her face darkened red almost immediately and she turned to pick it back up while the others suppressed smiles and knowing nods, remembering their own pasts. She folded her hands together in front of her, looking surprisingly hopeful. It was forbidden to use jutsu at this point so she actually felt somewhat blind about what was happening without her familiar sensory-technique giving her added insight. _That's a weakness I should be careful of later…_ she thought in a tiny corner of her mind while Iruka walked forward with the opened box in his hands and said, "Karin, I believe these are now yours. Wear it with pride. You're now a Genin of Konoha."

Her face now flushed with excitement and eagerness, looked into the box and saw that he had procured everything she had asked for, right down to the detail she liked most. "Thank you… so much…" Iruka looked at her for a moment and nodded to the others.

"Oh, and two more things." He reached forward and held out a small, faintly glowing stone which he touched to the collar on her neck. There was a low humming noise and then the collar snapped loose. "You don't need that anymore… and…" he rummaged in a pocket in his vest before producing a small key and a piece of paper. "We found you a place of your own to live in the village. It's not much, but… beats having to live as a captive so-" he was about to go on but could tell from Karin's face that was unnecessary. She seemed almost about to cry. "Alright. I think that concludes our business here today. Karin, when you're ready, you should go out and meet some of the other ninja in the village. You should also think about finding a team to join up with. No hurries though, just take your time and get used to all of this." He turned and the others all started to leave the room together. Iruka was the last one out and he turned with a smile. "By the way, I'll get you some ramen some time and answer that other thing you were wondering about. After all, you're a Konoha Ninja now, no need to keep secrets from a friend." He gave a wink and left.

She continued to stare at the box but quickly closed it again, a large smile on her face and dashing off to find the address listed on the paper. It didn't take her long, her energy was boundless as she dashed along, drawing quite a few puzzled gazes, until she found the small apartment complex. She slid the key into the door on the top floor and stared at it for a moment. She looked around for a moment to see if anyone else was nearby; finding no one, she closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath. She slowly turned the key and walked inside.

It was just a small one-room apartment with a bathroom, but it felt strange to her. She walked around, slowly touching the various parts of the room such as the dresser or the bed, setting down the box she carried in front of the mirror as she went. She sighed quietly and walked towards the double-window on the side of the room. "So this is my life now, huh?" she spoke to herself, barely muttering but still clearly audible in the quiet stillness of the room. She fell backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

_Not much… but I guess it's better than the places I'm used to. At least here no one would kill me without a thought for their own benefit… except maybe Sakura… thank god I'm not stuck with her anymore_. She frowned again, remembering the bitterness towards her from the pink-haired girl. _She's so far gone she's afraid to even turn back now. If she was to actually acknowledge her own loss then she'd be able to see all the good still around her, but she's too obsessed with trying to fix one mistake; never learning from it._ She sighed and rolled over, lying on her side now and closed her eyes. _So this is Konoha… and, well, I guess I'm a part of it now. I feel like I should be more awkward about all this but it just kind of feels right. What were you thinking abandoning all of this Sasuke? How different would I be if I could've "grown" here instead of in labs performing my duties for Orochimaru?_ She again sighed and sat up abruptly, shaking her head.

"No, no no." She slapped her face lightly as she said aloud, "I am ahead of all that. Now! Now I'm Karin, a ninja of Konoha." She stood up and walked towards the mirror, taking a good hard look at herself. "Well, I don't quite look the part… and I don't really feel it yet… especially that bit about the 'will of fire'…" She giggled a bit, imagining what Jugo would say about her current situation. She then grit her teeth imagining Suigetsu harping on about 'you really wanna be closer to Sasuke so now you're even gonna join Konoha? Hah!'. _I wonder what happened to those two, we got separated at the Kage-summit, Sasuke left them for dead…_

A sigh slowly escaped her lips, her head hung a bit, "Sasuke… why give all this up? …and why want to destroy it?" she said as she thought about her current surroundings. She came to a sudden bitter realization as she talked to herself, "Guess I'm his enemy now, aren't I?" A smirk crept onto her face. "…but I'm not worried, Naruto is here and I don't think he'd let Sasuke hurt anyone here." She stopped talking and opened the box in front of her that Iruka had given her. Inside was a new set of clothes and her forehead protector with the leaf symbol of Konoha on it.

_And I'll be there to help him do it_. She thought as she tore off her lavender coat, letting it fall to the floor, peeling off the outfit she'd worn under Orochimaru and Sasuke. She'd long since abandoned the Akatsuki robe and now she was abandoning the rest of it. She peeled off the uniform completely, leaving herself standing practically nude in front of the mirror before she looked back in the box. She pulled out a new coat, similar to her old in design, but now entirely black. She turned it over and a beaming smile appeared on her face; there, on the back, like she'd asked was the red spiral symbol she'd seen before on Jounin vests and elsewhere. The symbol of 'Uzushiogakure' she heard, the land of whirlpools, she'd learned that Konoha still honored to this day. _Heh, might as well make a good impression on all these headstrong folks._ She smiled again, and pulled on a matching pair of black shorts. She looked in the mirror and let out a disgruntled huff. "Not enough yet… now I'm still the same, only black with a spiral on the back…" so she dug into the box once more and pulled out a black hair-tie and bound her hair into a ponytail as she'd done once before after fighting the 8-tails. "Hmmm… and now for the finishing touch!" she announced happily, pulling out a new pair of unscuffed glasses with a red, squared frame. She also pulled out the last item… a Konoha forehead protector. She smiled and blushed a bit, the modification she'd asked for was there just as Iruka had promised it. She tied the band around her thigh, staring in the mirror for a moment before she pushed the leg of her shorts down a bit to cover all but the metal plate on the front of it.

_Oh what would Jugo, Sasuke, and Suigetsu say if they could see me like this? Jugo would probably be happy for me… Suigetsu… well… Suigetsu doesn't count. He'd just harp on about how I was jumping from one crush on a member of Team 7 to another. Not that I am!_ She shook her head violently, her face blushing red slightly at the embarrassment and frustration of the imagined jab from Suigetsu. She reminded herself that next time she saw Suigetsu she could actually fight him seriously. _Good, I owe him a legitimate beating. But Sasuke? What a ridiculously awkward situation that'd be. Saved by his rival and now emulating him! He'd probably not care… nothing matters to that guy anymore. But, I will help him rescue you from yourself, Sasuke. I'll help him bring you back, if nothing else than to thank him for what he did for me._ She smiled again and said aloud, "After all, I'm a Konoha Ninja now. It's my duty." As she turned and took the box to place it somewhere out of the way, the mirror showed only the tiniest glimmer of truth about what her secret modification was. There, on her thigh, the fabric showed only for a moment as she bent and put the box under the bed before she stood and straightened it… and the fabric behind the metal was orange.

Karin strolled down the streets of Konoha, odd glances going her way but quickly being dismissed as they saw the unmistakable leaf mark on the forehead protector of a ninja. There were a few raised eyebrows about this 'new girl' they didn't recognize, but they couldn't deny her current status. Many also smiled when they saw the red spiral on the back of her new black coat. As she walked, no one seemed to recognize her, and it wasn't until she saw a young man walking along on his hands grunting out a routine of some kind.

"Uhm, Hey! Rock Lee, was it?" Karin called out tentatively to the young man who promptly flipped to his feet.

"Ah! It was… it was…" he fumbled for a moment, "…Kili?"

Karin frowned and Rock Lee immediately started to stumble through an avalanche of names that began with 'k' as his face turned progressively redder. Karin finally held up a hand to stop him. "It's Karin. Don't worry about it… but… what are you doing?"

He smiled broadly, showing as many teeth as he could and striking a thumbs up pose. He even seemed to be imagining he was sparkling in his mind and said, "Fifteen laps around Konoha on my hands. If I can't do it, one thousand pushups with each hand! You stopped me, so when I resume, I'll do the pushups!" He seemed genuinely pleased that he'd actually have to switch the regimens up despite the unbelievable difficulty of each one.

"Uhm… I'm sorry?" she started to say but he held up a hand and solemnly closed his eyes in response. He shook his head sternly once and then struck yet another pose; this one, she imagined, was supposed to be a daring and proud pose.

"It is the duty of myself as a ninja to go beyond all limits! I am a genius of hard work and must hone the full potential of my youthful spirit!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, Karin was surprised that no one even turned or startled. Apparently this was not an uncommon occurrence. He leaned in and whispered like it was some kind of coy secret. "Besides… I like the pushups better." He immediately resumed his shouting. "Anyways! Nice to see you again Karin! Congratulations on becoming a Konoha Ninja!" She was surprised he'd actually noticed with how caught up he was in his own world. "Remember to harness your youth to become the best! Now I must resume my efforts!"

Karin watched in silent awe as Lee fell to the ground on that very spot, heedless of the people around him and began counting off one-handed pushups. She thought about continuing to talk to him, but decided she'd rather not experience that again. _Determination is one thing, but this guy takes it way too far. I'm glad he's on my side… but… I'm glad I don't have to put up with him regularly_.

She didn't see another familiar face until the hooded figure of Shino. She wasn't sure if she wanted to say 'hi' to him, but he strolled past her without so much as turning his head. She thought he might've raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of her, or maybe her Konoha Forehead Protector, but with the goggles and hood, she couldn't be sure. She knew about the bugs in his body and using her technique to sense that always made her feel uncomfortable, so she just let him pass.

Following Shino, she ran into Ino and Sai, the two of them were walking together chatting about something when Ino waved to Karin. "Hey there, I heard there was quite a snafu with Sakura, you okay?"

"Uh… yeah… fine…" Karin trailed off a bit, not in any hurry to tell Sakura's friends a story about how she'd gone berserk and attacked Iruka before coming after her with intent to kill.

Sai raised a hand as if needing permission to speak, but then spoke anyways without waiting for a response. "Actually, if you're hesitant about talking to us the way Sakura has been acting lately, we've seen it." Ino turned to start to try and hush Sai, but Karin only hung her head a bit in reply.

"I'm… I'm not sure what's up with her. Her whole world revolves around Sasuke and he's destroying himself and it's dragging her along with it." Karin said sadly, honestly lamenting Sakura's fate as it may well have been her own had she not given him up of her own free will.

Ino sighed loudly, "Look, Karin, it's not your fault what Sakura does and you're just her recent target of aggression because you represent all the things she can't bring herself to admit or do."

Karin looked puzzled, but then her face lit up, "oh, you mean that I was with Sasuke for a while and she's jealous of that given her obsession?"

Ino started to nod but Sai held up a hand again and started to talk, saying: "I think Ino was actually indirectly referring to the way that you and Naruto-ngh!" he was cut off by a none-too-subtle stomp on his foot by Ino. He stared at her for a moment, she made a face, and he turned back. "My apologies. Though I do feel there is something you need to know about regarding Sakura and her recent actions."

Karin, meanwhile stood utterly perplexed by the interaction she'd just seen go on. She closed her eyes and expanded her mental focus, using her technique to examine the two. Sai was, as he always is, a perfectly gray chakra that belied nothing in terms of emotion or power. Ino, on the other hand was red and jagged… clearly bothered, flustered, and also hiding something. Karin decided rather than stand there getting only half-truths and hintings, she'd go on the offensive. "Are you two going out?"

Ino went red-faced, Sai remained as utterly impassive as ever. Ino started to shake her head 'no' while Sai answered: "No, but I think Ino would like it if we were." Ino turned and looked with a face that was a mix between furious and embarrassed; Sai didn't appear to realize he'd said anything wrong; Karin stood awestruck by the sudden bomb that Sai had dropped so casually.

"Umm…" Karin began, but Ino interrupted her by yelling: "Sai! Don't blurt things like that out!"

Sai turned back to her with a puzzled look, "but isn't it true?"

Ino's face turned bright red and she started to try and mouth a reply and then ran off without another word, only managing a few squeaked half-syllables. Sai only stared in confusion, "I'll… have to ask Naruto… or better yet, Shikamaru, about this." He shook his head and leveled his emotionless gaze back at Karin. "Anyways, I guess I can tell you about the thing I mentioned now, can't I?" He gestured to an alleyway nearby and walked over there for privacy, the random passerby's still staring after the outburst from Ino. Karin nodded and followed, not sensing any hostility or danger from Sai… _Not that I would if he had, talk about a blank slate!_

Karin followed him slowly and when they reached the alley, Sai turned and leveled his emotionless stare at her again. She would likely have been unnerved, except the stare was like Sasuke's… _and he even kind of looks like him… _so she instead stared back, waiting for the revelation he was going to share with her. "So what's up?"

Sai looked up momentarily before correcting himself a low 'ah', and then speaking aloud. "What I had to tell you about Sakura is that she… hmm… confessed to Naruto. She met him around the time of the kage-summit and tried to get him to abandon his promise to return Sasuke as it was this promise that he initially made to her. She tried to do this by saying she loved him and only cared for him. Naturally, what we know about Naruto means this didn't work…"

Karin cut him off, "He's not just doing it for her."

"…exactly. He's doing it for himself and for everyone else at the same time. Regardless, this confession was shot down. Unfortunately, while I think Sakura had tried to reason in her head that it was a fake confession in order to get him to let her handle Sasuke… I think it was a genuine one that she refuses to admit was genuine." Karin gasped in surprise and placed a hand over her mouth. "Exactly," Sai continued, "she's denying anything and everything but her goal when she herself doesn't even believe in it anymore. You saw her hesitate when she went to actually kill Sasuke. She'd nerved herself to kill him but couldn't do it. She'd nerved herself to confess to Naruto but convinced herself it was a ruse that he saw through. She's on a spiral of self-destruction if she can't actually accept the world around her and herself."

Karin tapped a lip in thought, "has anyone told the higher ups?" Sai nodded in reply. "Ah… they aren't sure how to handle it… can't say that I blame them." Sai again nodded and motioned out of the alleyway. As they walked, Karin straightened her glasses and ran a hand through the still-ruffled side of her hair (what little of it wasn't in the ponytail). "I guess I can try to smooth things over, but that'll have to wait until she's calmed down a bit."

Sai shook his head this time and responded, "l wouldn't think she'll listen to anyone but Sasuke himself, and he's in no way interested in anything but killing her." He saw the bitter look on Karin's face, and thinking about only correcting his mistake, continued: "Ah, my apologies, killing all of us." Karin stopped walking as soon as he finished saying it.

"Sai…" Karin turned, her voice strained.

"Ah, I've done it again haven't I? Just do like the others and hit me. It seems to work wonders for their stress." He turned and smiled, for all the world seemingly ready to be struck. It was so surprising the uneventful way he said it that Karin's anger dissolved instantly.

"Hahaha," she chuckled, "You're honest! I'll give you that! No, I only meant that even if Sasuke talks her out of her own decay, it's only step one all over again. She has to save herself, everyone else can only help." Sai nodded slowly, pulled out a book and jotted a few notes. Karin peered over and saw the book was full of helpful social information and laughed again. "Just as a note Sai, you might want to not show that book so openly. It's kind of embarrassing!"

"Should I be embarrassed?" he replied.

Karin again started laughing and patted him on the shoulder. "I guess it's okay to be embarrassed every so often isn't it?" He shrugged and her laughing faded away as she added: "Ya know Sai? Everyone needs a friend like you. Someone like you keeps everything in perspective."

He shrugged, "Happy to help, even if I didn't do anything. By the way, I think you've unintentionally walked in a circle…" He pointed to the apartment complex she was now standing in front of again.

"Huh!" she startled in surprise, looking around, "How did I get back here?"

Sai smiled and sketched a quick circular drawing. "This is Konoha, it's easy to go in circles without realizing it when you're new to the location."

Karin nodded slowly… and then shouted again, "How did you know I started here!"

Sai put away the pad, frowned, and thoughtfully tapped his lips. "Ino told me you came from this direction when she first saw you… she said that the change in outfit and the way you were walking made it clear you must live here. She also pointed out that it would make sense for Iruka to put you here."

Karin, flustered that she was so easily predictable, caught the last bit and hung on it. "Wait… what? Why would that make sense?"

Sai turned and looked thoughtful once more: "I believe she said it's because Naruto lives quite close to here and there's no way anyone wouldn't put you with a view from your window facing into his."

A few minutes later, Sai was rubbing his cheek and pulled out his notebook again. He quickly scratched out the line that said 'Karin does not resort to physical violence as readily as the other girls in Konoha.' He then flipped the page and scratched out the line 'Embarrassment is okay sometimes.' and wrote 'Embarrassment is okay sometimes - but not for girls.'

Elsewhere, Yamato stood on a high tree branch, watching as a dark-skinned man approached. He wore only some body armor over his Kumogakure uniform, a pair of sunglasses, and had seven swords strapped to his body. He saw the tattoos he'd been told to look for and confirmed that the man was, in fact, Bee; the eight-tailed beast's host. He'd heard about him taking a trophy-sword that belonged to one of the Hidden Mist's seven swordsmen, but he obviously did not have it with him now. _What happened to it? That's not the kind of item one loses lightly… _He saw the man was writing in a notebook as he walked and decided he should guide him the rest of the way. He hopped down when the man had walked close enough. "So you're the only one they sent?"

The man looked up from a notebook he'd been writing in with an ink-covered finger and immediately held up his hands in a pose: "Got that right, but I ain't just spending' the night! I came all the way here to train your Jinchuuriki, cuz I'm the eight-tailed beast's master Killer-Bee! WHEEE!"

Yamato stared in a mixture of confusion, awe, and horror at the rhyming man from Kumogakure. "Well, I'm sure the Hokage would like to speak to you immediately, quickly, let's get out of the outskirts. Akatsuki is still looking for you."

"Let 'em find me, they'll get a beating for free, 'cuz if they don't send at least three, they won't like what they see!" the man enthusiastically yelled, making very little sense to Yamato. Yamato only shook his head and kept walking, muttering something under his breath about how 'thank god this will only be my problem for only a little while longer.'

_What necessitated the arrival of Bee in Konoha? Naruto's break from training is over!_

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.2/END


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:**

Okay! Been a little while hasn't it? First, let me apologize. This was a pretty big gap between chapters. I hadn't quite intended it to run on this long, but I'll level with you as to -why- it has. Firstly? I'm an English Major and a Secondary Education Major (-means I want to teach highschool English). Secondly, finals were an absolute monster last semester, so the story got put on hold because of that. Next up, I took Christmas break off. The entire purpose there was for me to relax. I did nothing, and it was everything I thought it would be. Following that, there's the whole "return to school" moving process, and then, let me remind you, I'm an English Major. What that means for those not in the know, is that my 'work load' is a little different from other people. A Computer Science Major (I was one once) has to design up programs and such, my education homework is the occasional paper, and etc. What English Majors do, however, is read. A lot. On an average Monday I can get an assignment to read 200 pages by Wednesday... in one class... and I have more than one class on Monday. So basically? I can sometimes watch my free time disappear in an instant. What this all comes to as a bottom line is that since the last update I've been alternating between swamped and 'vacation' time. Soooooooo this story kind of got put on an ersatz hold. For that, I apologize and hope this chapter (the longest yet, I believe) will make up for it.

Which leads me to another issue. has been eating my section breaks. Normally they are separated by a series of spaced dashes centered in between them. My first two stories had a few jumpy-moments that, on this site, are breakneck segues that make little sense. These were supposed to have gaps in between them the way you see it in novels when it does a series of asterisks (****) or something similar to show a change in scene. I apologize for that and have hopefully implemented a new method that will maintain these when uploaded!

Last issue I have is this chapter itself. I'm going to be honest with you, I think this is one of my lesser chapters. It took me the longest of the three, maybe that's why, but I feel like it is the least successful one I've written. Now, I've already shown it to someone else who assured me it was good; but I wanted to make sure you all knew that I had a bit of a tough time with it and that I could probably spend another two months polishing it before I was truly happy with it. I decided you all don't deserve to wait that long just for my perfectionism. With that in mind, forgive it a few lacking moments if you can, or if not, offer constructive criticism. Also, I want to offer fair warning to those who feel like the plot may move a bit quickly instead of dragging things out in a slow delicious fashion. As I mentioned before, this is a conclusive work. You **will** see Madara fight. You will see antagonists and protagonists die. The story of Naruto will resolve in the fashion I see fit and so, while the projected length is 15 chapters or so (may be more, we'll see) I just feel inclined to remind you that, while it is the main focus, the romance plot with Naruto and Karin is only one element of this story. As a result, you won't see the planned 15 chapters concern entirely them. In fact, if my projected plan continues smoothly and accurately, Naruto and Karin make maybe one or two appearances in chapter 7 at most. Just a friendly reminder to everyone on that one and an apology if this chapter doesn't quite feel as 'good' as previous ones.

~On a less awkwardly serious note~

In regards to comments: thank you guys and girls a ton. I mean it, without continuing feedback this would be nearly impossible for me. I won't lie, sometimes writing this story in my free time isn't entirely the most desirable thing for me. Instead I might go play D&D or videogames, but it's these comments and the continuing responses of everyone here (and the person who I started writing this story for in particular, and even she comes here to review it for me!) that keep me coming back to work on it more and more earnestly. So yeah, the more I hear, the happier I am. Also, please don't be afraid of critiquing it! I'm an adult, I can handle negative feedback. I only ask that if you don't like something you eloquently word your complaint or question. Hearing: "U MEANIE SAKURA IS BESTFOREVRS" doesn't help anything. Well thought-out commentary or questions get answered, as seen below!

In regards to specific comments:

Sinewyk: The bit about how Ino would've known is actually a good point. See, I've taken over the story, and so as a result, I'm breathing a bit more life into the more 'bit' characters that the manga/anime tend to neglect excluding filler. Konoha is a living thing, a town populated by a truly diverse group. Personally? I don't think there's any way in hell that stories of mission exploits wouldn't get passed around between friends. So how did Ino find out? Who knows, but I will say that the strike team for Sasuke had a few people on it that may just have told their friends about it afterward. It's not exactly like 'confidential' extends inside the village for most missions.

Sbradburn: The thing about the fighting style was, conveniently enough, already answered by IceBlood Alchemist (you were dead-on accurate, props for that answer by the way!). As far as Naruto being cold to Sakura, well, she's going somewhat crazy I'll remind you. She did punch Iruka after all! She's quickly turning into someone he doesn't know anymore, and I feel that as a character, Naruto wouldn't be sure how to really act around her after many of her antics. So, he's taking a more 'distant' approach.

TheLonelyVagabond: Regarding cannon, I'm twisting it. I'm making it my own. This is a conclusive work, so the story will end. There will be deaths, there will be conclusive evidence. Who knows? I may even include something like the Ten-Tails. Only way to find out will be to read it all as I publish it. Trust me when I tell you, this is not a work that will just sort of glaze over details in favor of keeping with the romance. You're going to get your very own 'cannon' of this story.

Kael Hyun & Bikiluf: Sorry to say, but the pairing "Naruto X Karin" is the main pairing. Says it on the front of the story even. I won't spoil anything more, but Naruto with other people will likely be temporary at best, if it even happens. After all, I wanted people looking for Naruto X Karin to find it, so gonna have to shoot down the questions of Naruto X Sakura or a Naruto harem.

Refused: Much appreciated! The projected length is around fifteen chapters though, so lets see how plausible it stays by the end eh?

Brian Stentzel: Holy F!#$ing Sh!*. Someone used the word 'prose' properly? My god your review made my day for that alone. I completely empathize with your situation too. I tend to enjoy pairings that are uncommon, to say the least, and finding a well written one (that's longer than 100 words!) is a pretty brutal task. I'm really glad I could get someone like you to review it and I sincerely hope to see your review for chapter 3. As far as dealing with Hinata? Heh, let me tell you right now, chapter 4 involves _all _of Naruto's conflicting romance issues. Trust me, I would never ignore the confession like the manga has. That's an issue that you should see cropping up in this chapter, and I'll note, I hinted at in previous chapters when Naruto avoided the Hyuga. I hope I handle it in a way that pleases you regarding it.

Nezumi0505: Keep up the full-length reviews sweety, you know I started writing this for you~!

Everyone else: Sorry if I don't specifically name you~! I truly mean that, I appreciate all your feedback and every review gets read (more than once!) so keep 'em coming and you'll probably get a specific response in these author's notes eventually!

Okay, think I've tormented you all with a wall of text long enough, enjoy your next chapter~!

**End Author's Notes**

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 3: _Naruto's Shadow

Bee stood with his arms folded, expressionless as always, with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. Yamato had stopped him when he received a message from a masked ninja, an ANBU, with a message from the Hokage. The two had then been standing and talking to one another for a few minutes, the ANBU having departed, while Yamato tried to ascertain the information he'd been told to double check. "Look, I'm sorry to stop and ask you here, …but since you're not carrying the sword we'd heard you had and since you're coming here instead of our previous arrangement, I need to confirm the details." The dark-skinned man tilted his head and then flung his arms out wide in yet another pose.

"What's there to know? We had a little problem and it had to go. Now I'm here and the problem's no mo'."

Yamato hung his head and again sighed. He decided to try a new tactic. "Okay, I guess if you're not going to elaborate, I'm going to have to have to send a messenger to the Raikage for the details…" He started to turn away, then turned back rapidly, adopting his familiar 'horror face' he always used to make a point… _Heh, particularly with Naruto_… "…because his brother is unwilling to be cooperative!" he added, in a menacing tone.

"Woah woah, let's not be so hasty. After all, no need to get nasty. Don't worry or tell my bro-I'm just playin', it was that Akatsuki guy hidin in the sword I was carryin'. That same shark-faced dude that I fought before, it was the real one this time that my bro and I aced once more. Our info got out and the original idea screwed, so I came here when the plan was renewed. The leaf beat Pain so it's plenty secure, so we'll train here uninterrupted for sure! WHEEEEE!"

Yamato had long since dropped his 'horror face', unable to sustain it under the constant, rhyming, nonsensical barrage. He thought hard about the message he'd just received. _If I didn't have training in decoding, I don't think I'd have been able to really get that_. "So what you're saying is that… Hoshigaki Kisame hid in his own blade somehow? And then he managed to spy on Kumogakure and learn about the alliance's plans… but that the information got out, despite you defeating him?"

Bee nodded once, folding his arms again. "You got that right, but let me tell you he's a tough motherfucka; he took himself out and made our efforts to capture him make us look like suckas."

"So he killed himself? Damn, what a stubborn guy. Guess we still have no ideas what they're planning or capable of yet then." Yamato rubbed his chin in thought as he muttered to himself. "We've only seen two so far that haven't been killed in combat… or… or her. But… hmm, I don't think she's a danger anymore. We were told to keep an eye out for her, more as a potential ally later…"

"You talkin' to yourself ain't makin' us any younger, c'mon man, let's get to the village I don't wanna wait any longer."

Yamato snapped back to attention, "Yeah, but our first stop is to see the Hokage-" He started to say, but Bee interrupted him again, rapping once more about how he'd come there to see the Hokage to begin with. "Yeah yeah yeah, I get it!" Yamato finally cut him off. There was a pained expression on his face as he once again took the lead, Bee's story checking out with what he'd been told to ask him by the ANBU. Yamato started to lead him again toward the Hokage's office, a tortured expression on his face the entire way that only grew worse and worse as Bee continued to rap about his surroundings. Yamato was amazed he could create a new verse about every different little thing but was relieved that soon Bee wouldn't be his problem anymore.

]][[

Nearly an hour later, Yamato practically lay in the corner of the Hokage's office, his mouth sagging open as he'd been enduring Bee's rapping the entire time. Tsunade stared at the dark-skinned man who sat, grinning broadly, opposite her. "Alright, so you'll train Naruto, but we need some controls. Without a distant and secure location, we can't risk the Nine-Tails running free."

Bee threw up his arm and once again exclaimed, "Don't worry a bit about Naruto's darkness, if it comes up, Woody and I can handle that mess! WHEEEEE!" Yamato shuddered but had long since given up fighting over the nickname 'Woody'. He just hoped that that Bee would forget about it… _Or at the very least don't mention it around Naruto_. Otherwise he remained nearly catatonic.

"Yamato!" Tsunade snapped, quickly returning him to an upright seated posture before he hopped up from his seat and gave her his attention. "Do you think you and Bee could restrain Naruto if he started to run out of control?"

He rubbed his chin slightly, "Without the pendant… might be tough… but… between my wood element and his full mastery of the Eight-Tails, we probably could-"

"Got that right! Wouldn't even take all night!"

Yamato shuddered again but continued after Bee's outburst: "-but there'd be a lot of damage to the surroundings. The two highest tailed beasts battling it out, if we didn't end it quick, it'd take even more abuse to make it stick." He stopped, clearly in horror at himself for his unintentional rapping.

"Not a bad rhyme, you might get to my level in time!" Bee chimed in, patting him on the shoulder. Yamato's head was in his hands, and he seemed to be sobbing, but Tsunade ignored it (as he'd been behaving strangely the whole time) and put a hand down on her desk with enough force to startle the two men and return their attention undividedly to her.

"Alright. I'm allowing it, but Bee, take every precaution you can against his transforming unless he's got control of it. I don't even want him starting to try until you're sure he's ready. Yamato, I want you present during any sessions to monitor and restrain the Nine-Tails chakra if it even slightly goes out of control. Lastly, I want this done somewhere out of the way. Not too far from the village that you're in danger, but definitely not close. Yamato, I'll entrust assigning the extra guards and scouts necessary for wherever it ends up happening to you. Simply put, no vulnerabilities, and don't let Akatsuki know we aren't still going to send Naruto to that 'island'. If they waste time looking for that and then can't find him, we'll have an advantage; maybe we can even lay a trap or two there." The two men nodded and Tsunade stood up and continued talking, her voice going somehow even more serious than it had before. "Listen, the shinobi joint alliance feels that both you," she nodded to Bee, "and Naruto are to be kept off the battlefield and out of this war. Let me tell you right now that I agree; but only so far. Neither of you should be leading charges against the enemy. That doesn't mean I don't want you fighting. Truth be told, I feel that we have almost no chance of beating Madara and now Sasuke without the power you two possess. Also, regardless of our whims, you two are the goal of Madara and that means one way or another he'll be dragging you into this. I'd rather you became involved on our terms. If you have any objection, let me know now!"

Yamato stared quietly at Bee who sat with his unreadable smiling expression for a few moments. "Got a gift for thinking', and you got that right. I'll train Naruto 'til him and the Nine-Tails are tight. We'll be ready to do as you ask, and kick the shit out of that guy in a mask! WHEEEEE!" He had risen from his seat in enthusiasm in the middle of rant and now stood with his arm straight up and fingers in his familiar 'horns' position.

Yamato again shuddered, but he quickly grinned when he saw the beaming smile on Tsunade's face. "Glad to hear it Bee. Now," she signaled to an aide near the door, "let's get this all started."

]][[

Minutes later, Naruto walked into the Hokage's office, confused as to why he'd been summoned. "I thought you said I had a month, it's only been two weeks!" He started to complain, ignoring the strange man from Kumogakure that he had not seen before.

Tsunade held up a hand to stop him. "Plans change. Originally you were going to have to leave the village. Instead you'll be doing your training here with this man, Bee."

Naruto stopped, appraised the man momentarily, and then turned back to Tsunade. "Why am I getting trained by him? I thought Kakashi and Yamato were both fine instructors. Why do I need this guy?"

Bee, at this point, interrupted him by folding his arms and leaning back: "This is the Jinchuuriki with a beast inside stronger than me? Gotta be joking 'cuz a joke's all I see." and watched with a smug smile as Naruto started to shake in anger.

"You wanna fight, sunglasses?"

Yamato, who had been quiet until now, put a hand on Naruto's shoulder to stop and steady him. "I wouldn't try it if I were you Naruto. That man is Killer Bee, the host of the eight-tailed beast and he's a perfect host. He has full access to his beast's power." He saw Naruto's shock and knew he only needed one more push to get Naruto to respect this newcomer and to acknowledge him as a vital resource. "…and, he's the only one who's recently foiled Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he turned to stare at Yamato, who only nodded a confirmation. "You mean…?" Naruto asked, unable to finish his question.

"Yes, that's right. He can help you take control of the Nine-Tails within you." Yamato answered without waiting for Naruto to articulate his response.

Naruto shook his head, "He can tell me more about how Sasuke is fighting lately. That's what I want-… need to know." He looked awestruck but he righted himself and resumed his original obstinate expression. "I don't want this training to get in the way of my efforts toward Sasuke."

Tsunade's face was unfazed by this latest Naruto outburst regarding Sasuke. "No. You're not going after Sasuke with the Nine-Tails still out of control inside you. In fact, you don't get to do anything but train with Bee here until you can show me a complete mastery of the fox's powers. No missions. No chasing Sasuke. Nothing. Your only goal is mastering your power. Do you understand?"

Naruto shook his head, "But Sasuke is getting worse and worse. What good does it do me to sit here and train? I can train on the way and together this sunglasses-guy and I take care of Sasuke and-"

Tsunade slammed a hand down on the table with barely enough restraint to avoid cracking it, but everyone could hear it strain under the impact. "You're not listening! Don't you know that a trained user of the Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails? All Sasuke has to do is tap into your rage and he can literally control you through that monster inside of you! Do you want that?"

Naruto could only hang his head meekly and mumble a 'no' of reply.

"Good, now acknowledge it. I don't want you to think you can just run off as soon as you make any headway; this is no different than your sage training. If you rush it, it'll all be for nothing." Tsunade pressed the matter while Yamato held a disgruntled look. _I know Yamato, I know, this is rough on him, but we can't risk him being his usual self right now. There's too much at stake right now to be soft on him!_ She thought, as If she could direct it into Yamato's mind and simultaneously absolve herself of the guilt she felt for berating Naruto.

"I…" Naruto began, obviously struggling to find the words that properly expressed his opinion without getting violent, "I imagine there's no choice then. I understand. Until I can show you at least a little bit of control of the damned fox inside me, I'll do as I'm told."

Tsunade felt relieved to hear his acceptance, though it was still the same kind of resigned tone as when informing a child they had to have a tooth pulled. She sighed aloud and leaned back in her chair, suddenly exhausted. _I guess age catches up with you even when it doesn't look it… and it doesn't help that I'm playing the grandmother role here._ She paused for a moment longer before looking at Bee and Yamato in turn. "You two, he's all yours. Do what you can, take what resources you need. Begin as soon as you can."

"Yes, Hokage." Yamato nodded.

"Time to start at long last? Don't worry little guy, we'll have a blast. First though what you gotta do, is find a way to confront the darkness in you. Without the Falls of Truth there's a hitch, but if you've got the drive you can erase that bitch. Find a way little Jinchuu, until your darkness isn't a problem - mastery isn't for you! WHEEEEE!" Naruto could only stare at the dark-skinned man as he rapped his way to standing and then towards the door. "Come and find me or Woody when ya got a plan, if you think you can't do it, try bein' a man!"

With his piece spoken and without waiting on any of the dozens of questions Naruto was trying to form in response to the seeming-gibberish of Bee's, the man left the room. Yamato shrugged and turned to Naruto, "I think I know what he means, and that kind of scares me that I'm starting to understand him, but regardless, you need to find a way to measure your inner darkness and hopefully control and take over it. While I've got no idea how to go about that, I'm sure you'll figure something out. My only advice is this: Don't try to hide it or lie about it. Something tells me Bee is deadly serious about this, so until you can say for certain that your darkness is gone or under control, we can't proceed."

Naruto nodded and left the room, unsure of even where to begin, but moving quickly as though acting like he had a purpose would somehow accidentally find him one. He was out of sight within seconds and Yamato stood in thought, quietly considering everything that had happened while Tsunade leaned back once more and closed her eyes.

]][[

Tsunade drew in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it go. _Look at him go, can you see him where you are Minato, Jiraiya, and Kushina? He's growing so fast that I can't even keep up with him, but don't worry, I'll do everything I can to keep him okay. I can't promise safety, the way things are now, there's no chance of that and I won't lie. I just hope… right now… with Akatsuki losing so many of their number, they're bound to be getting desperate, I only hope we don't have a demon fox to deal with on top of them._

_ I wonder though… can he truly master the Nine-Tails? If anyone can, it's him, but I'm not sure he's ready quite yet. Something's missing…_ she mused, and sat back up, Yamato seemed lost in his thoughts and Tsunade left him to them. She glanced down at the folder in front of her on the desk and the forms nearby. _I'm glad Naruto didn't notice these, he wouldn't have left me alone about it._ She smirked, sliding the folder out from under the obscuring papers to reveal the name on its tab as "Karin". She picked up the forms and thumbed through them. A few of them had performance reviews, a few were notes from Iruka who'd more-or-less taken her under his wing. It was the last one that troubled her.

It was a form issuing a request for Karin to be put under heavy scrutiny and possibly removed from Konoha as a potential spy. Unsurprisingly, it had been submitted by Sakura. Tsunade shook her head and sighed, opening up the folder to see if there was any merit to it. _Except these are all solid reviews… distrustful, sure… but she clearly has hit it off well with folks and is trying her best. It only confirms what Iruka has said already about her. Of course… there's the other thing he said, I'm not entirely sure if I believe that part yet. It'd make sense as far as why she's so angry at Karin though._

Tsunade chuckled, and Yamato startled a bit at it, as though he'd been so lost in thought that he had forgotten he wasn't alone. _First she's around Sasuke for a time that you can't have, now she's moved on and been given a second chance… a fresh start… something you refuse to give yourself. But that's not all, what's got you angriest is probably that she is slowly dragging away his attention from you. I guess we'll have to have that talk, huh Sakura?_

"Tsunade," Yamato's had turned to face her, "may I be dismissed?"

She turned up from her thoughts and nodded, but as he turned to leave she added: "Stick to Naruto. Don't help him unless he asks for it, but don't let him go try and do something idiotic like unleashing the Nine-Tails before he's ready. Understand?"

"Yes, Hokage. I'll keep an eye on him." He nodded and walked out without another word. Whatever he'd been thinking about he had obviously resolved on his own. He had a grin on his face that left Tsunade curious, but she decided not to push it. After all, if it was important, he'd have told her.

Tsunade turned back to the folder and focused on a few points that were vacant on the information. She scratched notes into it here and there, telling Iruka what to focus on with her own lessons. She finally added one more note regarding her sensory technique and filled out a form appointing a Hyuga to review Karin's technique for similarities to their Byakugan to see if they could mutually benefit each other. Lastly, she signaled an aide to come in, setting her tone to be neutral and steady even despite how it pained her.

"Bring Haruno Sakura here. I need to speak with her. Tell her it is a direct order from me, and that it is a pressing matter." Tsunade dismissed the man as soon as he'd acknowledged her orders. _I'm sorry Sakura, you're not going to like this one bit, but for right now you and I need to do a little one-on-one training in more than just techniques._

]][[_  
_

Naruto sat on a bench alongside a path through one of the slowly rebuilding park areas. A frown creased his face and he was trying to concentrate, but he couldn't get anywhere in his mind. "This is pointless!" he grumbled, "I can use nature chakra and I still can't get this lousy beast under control…" He lifted his jacket and shirt and angrily glared at the seal on his stomach. A few awkward and uncomfortable moments passed before he let his clothes drop back over it and sighed. "How do I even find the entirety of my inner darkness, let alone measure it, let alone control it!" He thrashed aimlessly, more to expend the burning impatience within him and as if he could throw off the confusion like a mess of ropes around him.

"Hmm… if you're going to look that undignified, you should probably do it in your room." a voice intruded on his flailing and struggling.

"Huh? Kakashi?" He turned and saw the familiar silver-haired, masked man. "Oh hey! You're smart, you can help me out here."

Kakashi's visible eye widened and he gazed from the book he was holding back to Naruto and back to the book forlornly. "Well, I can try… but at least give me an idea as to with what."

Naruto stared blankly back for a moment and then smiled, "I need to find some way to 'control' my inner darkness. Whatever the heck that really is." Naruto's smile vanished as quick as he'd finished saying it when he saw Kakashi take on a much more serious posture and expression, closing his book and putting it away.

"Naruto, your inner darkness isn't a joke, or some silly moral lesson. Every ninja has darkness in them, it's part of a job where we see friends die and where we end lives at our hands. You can't take it lightly. The most I can do is try and-"

"I didn't quite mean our baggage, I know that, every ninja has that…" Naruto tried to interject, but Kakashi cut him off as abruptly.

"Naruto that 'baggage', as you put it, is our darkness. Don't underestimate that kind of thing. Even simple actions can weigh heavily on the heart." He paused and saw Naruto's face, seeing the struggle to understand. "…Ah, but you're still so young. I forget that from time to time. You'll understand when you really get there, the most I can offer for a reference is Sasuke. His darkness has complete control of him and I'm sure you could see that." He saw Naruto's face grow more serious at the mention of Sasuke, but continued anyway, "I assume you're meaning to control the Nine-Tails though. So, here, I can at least offer this." Without listening to Naruto start to tell his entire story about the meeting with the Hokage and Bee, he pulled his forehead protector up and let chakra flow into the Sharingan eye he had revealed. He then turned his focus on Naruto, his other eye closing and focusing intently on the chakra surrounding Naruto.

"Kakashi?" Naruto puzzled, interrupted by the sight of the technique.

"Use Kagebunshin please, Naruto."

Naruto obliged him and Kakashi observed the entire process before nodding slowly. "Alright, you can end the technique." While Naruto did, Kakashi closed his eye and restored the band of cloth over it once more. "Naruto, truth is, I can barely sense it, even with this sharingan while you're using chakra. You put your darkness in with the Nine-Tails. I imagine, because that has always been your mental manifestation of it already. You keep yours inside and locked away, you're not like Sasuke who revels in it." He sighed and pulled out his book once more. "You'll need someone who can really see into you and understands it. I can't do anything else for you right now."

Naruto started to open his mouth to object but Kakashi had already started to walk away; his face buried in his book once more. Sitting back down on the bench, he considered what he'd been told. _See into me and understand it? Who can do that? Wait… if it's understanding it, I know someone who does!_

]][[_  
_

Yamato dashed along, looking to catch up to Naruto who had wandered off before he had been told to monitor him. _Wonder if he's had any ideas yet. _He mused as he practically collided with Naruto who was dashing towards him. "Woah!" He shouted and came to a sudden stop as Naruto did the same, neither paying too much attention until almost too late.

"Yamato! There you are. I was looking for you." He shouted excitedly.

Yamato raised an eyebrow and defensively asked, "…why?"

"You can take care of my inner darkness with your wood element can't you?"

_Oh geez, where do I even begin to explain this…_ Yamato thoughtfully rubbed his chin with his arms folded across his chest. "Naruto, it's not so much that I 'take care of it'. All I can really do is suppress the powers of the Nine-Tails. Even then, without the crystal pendant, my abilities to do so are diminished even further. I want to help, but you need to learn how to control it on your own. The most I can do is help rein it in when it starts to get out of control… and even then I can only do it if I catch it early. Anything past four tails I don't think I can handle, especially without the pendant." Yamato watched Naruto's face contort in heavy thought once again.

"So if you can't help, I need something that'll let me really get at my inner darkness…"

"Naruto… why can't you do it yourself?" Yamato finally asked, unable to bear the curiosity as to why he kept harping on about finding help.

"Huh?" Naruto stared back at him as though Yamato had asked him something like 'why do people eat'. "Because when I do it alone I can only focus on one thing, one part, one bit of what I feel like is a larger whole. Until I find a way to know I'm at the heart of the whole thing, there's no point is there? I need something to put the whole thing into perspective like how I learned to train with kagebunshin. Or like how I mastered nature chakra. I guess I just need someone who can put it a way I understand."

Yamato closed his eyes and sighed. _Naruto will always do things at Naruto's pace and in Naruto's way…_ he shook his head and started to pace. "Well, it's really a toughie, but it sounds like you need someone who can really recognize how your chakra fluctuates… that's the closest thing right? Since it is so tied to the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto puzzled for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I used to be able to use its chakra, but now it's kind of… yeah." He ended lamely, everyone was familiar with what happened recently it seemed.

Yamato paused his pacing with a sudden idea: "So, why not try and find a Hyuga to help you out? Wouldn't Neji be willing to help? He's seen you use the Nine-Tails power in battle before even." Yamato replied.

Naruto started to look hopeful and then suddenly shook his head back and forth repeatedly. "I can't use a Hyuga, that'd be a terrible idea…" Naruto muttered very quietly. Yamato stared and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, obviously something was staying Naruto's hand about them, but he decided not to press it. Naruto finally perked back up, "So do you have any recommendations that aren't a Hyuga?"

Yamato sighed, "No idea, but you may want to resolve that issue with the Hyuga at some point. Especially if you want to be the Hokage." Yamato grinned inwardly: _That ought to get him to take care of that on his own._

Naruto nodded and went to his fallback plan for most situations that required heavy thought: go get ramen. Yamato followed quietly, observing and wondering if he could offer any more pointers or suggest any alternatives. While Naruto noisily ate, Yamato still remained outside in thought, leaning against the entryway. _I wonder what… oh-ho… never mind, I know why you're avoiding the Hyuga so desperately. I'd forgotten about that, but I guess what Hinata did and said are weighing heavily on you aren't they? I only heard about it from others, but she's not going to be courageous enough to confront him on that matter… it's amazing enough she managed to do what she did… But I wonder-_

Naruto's voice broke through Yamato's wandering thoughts, "Ah-ha!" Naruto burst out of the shop quickly and stopped in front of Yamato for a moment, clearly excited. "Yamato! Do you know where Iruka is?"

"Uh… Hmm… yeah, I believe he's out in one of the training fields with that new girl." He replied after taking a moment to remember.

"Thanks Yamato! Gotta go!" Naruto took off at a run, a pace that surprised Yamato given Naruto had just been eating. _Hah, think you can shake me that easily Naruto? What are you planning anyway…_ He started to follow him when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Sir, he said you'd cover the bill." the voice of what could only be the shop-owner said.

Yamato turned with an angry glower, reaching for his wallet. _Damn! Naruto, enjoy your head-start because I'm going to be charging you interest!_

]][[_  
_

"No, no! You're doing it wrong, the trick with hand seals is to form them as fast you're capable of without messing them up. Don't try go faster, no matter how fast you go if you don't pull them off right, it's a waste of a few precious seconds of battle!" Iruka droned on, giving yet another lecture. Karin had endured a lot of these since their special 'remedial' training lessons to make up for her extreme lack of skill in areas besides healing and sensing. "Remember, your whole abilities are better served by you remaining calm, trying to rush and overdo things will only cost you your advan-"

"Shut up already! You've said that a dozen times! How can I get better if I'm not testing my limits with every move? I have to push things to their absolute breaking point and then do better! It's not like I want to fail! You know what happens to the ones who do?" the outburst was standard, excluding the last bit which had wrenched itself out of her unbidden. Iruka simply stared while Karin put a hand over her suddenly downcast expression. "Look, I'm sorry. I know things are different here in Konoha, but where I've been, if you don't have a purpose and are good at what you do, you wind up on the operating table… or worse, if that's possible."

Iruka sighed, "That's what I'm trying to tell you, don't push yourself so hard, get a good handle on things before you go for something so enormous. Can't master the expert stuff until you've at least got a good grasp on the basics. The only one I know who actually pulls that off on a regular basis is-"

"Hey! Iruka!" a voice called out, the unmistakably enthusiastic voice of Naruto.

"Well, speak of the devil…" Iruka turned and waved at the blond young man running towards him. He nodded to Karin once, "Okay, let's take a quick break and see what he wants."

Karin collected herself, straightening her glasses and smoothing down her clothes as Naruto bounded over, a beaming smile on his face. "Hey, this is great, I was looking for Iruka to ask where Karin was, but here she is already! Though… I think Yamato already said that… oh well!" Karin's face took on a slight pink hue at the fact that he'd been looking for her.

"Well, I'm here, what is it?" she asked, forcing herself to ignore the grin Iruka now wore… or trying to at least. _Look at him grinning ear to ear, what's with him? He acts like he's privy to some huge secret that only he knows about! He isn't even right! It's not like-_ She snapped back to attention when she realized Naruto had started to reply and she had missed the first bit.

"…and that's why I need your help, because you've got that sensor technique of yours and I need to try and gain control of, or eliminate, my inner darkness." Naruto finished, looking a bit ashamed of having to ask for help, but obviously not minding too much.

"Hmm…" Karin stalled, buying herself some time to mull it over in her thoughts without standing there silently. _His inner darkness? I wonder why he specifically needs my technique… well, if he's not bothered hardly at all by asking me, he must've already asked a few people or been trying it a lot already… he's pretty headstrong like that. But… would that mean I'd have to spend a lot of time with him? Oh shit! that's the last thing I need, everyone already seems to think we're some kind of item… though… no! That's a load of crap. I'll decide exactly who and what and where and all that! Yeah! Didn't take it from Suigetsu, not going to take it from Iruka! Okay, so I'll just turn down his request and-_

"Umm, Karin, that's the longest 'Hmm' I think I've ever heard." Naruto interjected, interrupting her thought train entirely as she realized she had been making her stalling noise the entire time. He was staring at her puzzled, but still hopeful.

"Ah!" she clapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, before realizing she couldn't talk like that and moved it away again, equally embarrassed. "Sorry, just a bit of a lot to consider."

Iruka chimed in from the side, "Sounds like it'll be good practice for your sensory technique and you can get to know Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja better!"

"Oh shut up, nobody asked you!" Karin snapped, not appreciating the insinuating tone Iruka had taken on clearly to make a jab at her. "Sorry Naruto," and she watched his crestfallen face as she began and immediately regretted it, looking away a bit ashamed, "but I can't, I've got to do these crappy lessons with that idiot," she unsubtly nodded towards Iruka, "as part of my agreement to not be a captive, ya know… prove I'm actually trying to be a good Konoha Ninja."

Naruto started to reply but Iruka dove in and had an arm over each of their shoulders, Naruto looking confused and Karin desperately trying to worm out of his grip. "I just got a great idea!" he grinned deviously, "how about, we all train together, we'll make Naruto's business part of your sensory training and reinforcement, and when he's got a good grip we'll let him fend for himself while we do our own training until he needs you again? Not that I doubt he won't _need_ you a lot, but what do you say?" The extra stress about 'needing him' was not missed by either party, but while Karin directly understood what Iruka was teasing at, Naruto turned defiant.

"Hey! I won't need that much help! I've gotten a lot better at all this training stuff and you know it!" He kept ranting, but Karin didn't hear it as she was too relieved he hadn't picked up on what Iruka had implied. Iruka simply ignored Naruto's heavy complaints and his own failed attempt to cause mischief while he jotted down a few notes on his clipboard, making sure to clear all this with his superiors later. "Iruka, you're not listening! I'm telling you this'll work!"

Karin smiled at Naruto's continued determination to prove his abilities, going so far as to try and demonstrate techniques while Iruka dismissed his actions easily. _He's so stubborn, he won't brood about not being strong enough, he'll just work harder and harder to make sure he is. I think I see why those two had such a close rivalry and friendshi-_ she stopped as she saw someone coming, two people, but one was a figure she recognized very clearly. She stepped behind Iruka to block his line of sight of her and suppressed her chakra immediately, hoping he hadn't noticed her yet.

Seconds later, the other two noticed the guests, Iruka turning to face them and Naruto turning to wave enthusiastically at the arrivals. He even shouted: "Eight-Tails! Yamato!" Karin didn't recognize Yamato, though his chakra felt familiar, she must've sensed him before but he was the least of her worries at the moment. Also, Yamato looked particularly haggard and drained, as though the company he'd been keeping had been near unbearable. _I imagine the Eight-Tails has not given up his habit of rapping… badly._ She didn't have to wait very long to hear the confirmation of that guess.

"Naruto, I heard from Yamato, you got a new method planned! Let me see if that shit works or needs to get banned!" the man known as Bee continued with his rap-dialogue for any conversation. "Hoo!" Karin unfortunately realized she had been seen at the man's exclamation as he continued: "It's the red-head with the Uchiha boy-Akatsuki! Is why you're here anything to do with me?"

Iruka raised an eyebrow but then realized, "Ah, yeah, you were with Sasuke's team snake… or hawk… or Akatsuki… whichever it was at the time." He turned to face Bee and continued to place himself between Karin and Bee, recognizing her uncomfortable posture. "She's with Konoha now, she was basically given no choice in the matters earlier and we apologize on her behalf for any troubles she caused you."

Bee threw his head back and laughed, "Is that so? Well, I'll tell you a secret ya know! I used your group and that Sasuke-boy, and besides, you and your buddies saved his ass, I cracked him like a toy. Wouldn't'a lasted without ya a minute and a half that dumb sucka, my only issue is with his cocky ass, that self-righteous motherfucka!"

It took Karin a second to realize she needed to breathe a sigh of relief. _So even then, others could see how awful Sasuke was getting. I'm kind of sorry I stayed with him so long now, but him saving his friends showed some glimmer of hope for him._ She resumed attention on reality a moment later as Naruto was explaining things to Bee and Yamato excitedly.

"-and that's why I came looking for Karin! I figured it'd be perfect!" Naruto finished.

Bee rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Alright, we'll see if she can do it, who you pick I don't care, we've gotta get you trained, ain't got time to spare!"

Yamato nodded, "He's right, but first a test. Karin, if your sensor technique is as good as they say, tell me what you see in me." He tensed slightly, obviously increasing his chakra-output for a slightly easier test.

Karin frowned, _More tests? Damn it all, haven't I proven enough already? Maybe I could lie-_ she turned and saw the hopeful look on Naruto's face and knew she couldn't disappoint him so badly. _…So much for that. Well, here goes_… and she focused on the man in front of her, slowly shutting out the other chakra signatures that would distract her from his entirely. Her eyes closed and she focused in solely on the man before her.

Slowly, after nearly a minute of awkward silence Karin opened her eyes again and then she folded her arms to adopt a haughty 'told-you-so' pose. "You're a wood element user, combination of earth and water chakra. Strange as it is to see one anymore. I detect marks of Orochimaru's handiwork on you as well, so you're not entirely a natural one, but you were completely compatible with it. I think you were before my time there, but not by too much. One of his earlier works, your suffering is probably what gave way to Danzo's wood element manipulation with the First Hokage's cells."

Yamato blinked a few times in surprise. Bee only managed a quiet "damn" in an impressed tone. Iruka smiled proudly, happy to see his current student do so well. Naruto was the least restrained of them all, "Yeah! Way to go Karin! I knew you could do it!" She blushed a bit, losing her haughty grandeur at the way she had so accurately deduced things in the presence of Naruto's unreserved praise.

"Well, I'm convinced. That's about as spot-on as someone can get with just a glance." Yamato sounded legitimately impressed, and walked over. "Iruka, you're okay if we borrow your special student for this task?" He saw the other man nod and continued. "Alright, Karin, you're the one for the job. We're going to have you observe Naruto's darkness so he can begin his training to master the Nine-Tails."

Naruto was smiling happily, Iruka had a look of surprise on his face and was about to say something when Karin sort of breathed out a reply: "The… Nine-Tails? Naruto?" she was sort of confusedly pointing at Naruto as she said it.

Bee bust out laughing: "Aww shit! She didn't know, way to fuck that one up bro!" Iruka had his face in the palm of his hand and sighed; Yamato seemed idly dumbfounded; and Naruto was oblivious as always.

"Ah… she… didn't know, did she?" Yamato asked, belatedly and clearly trying to smooth it over.

"No. No she didn't. I had intended to let him tell her that." Iruka replied while Karin continued to stand there stunned and muttering.

"I mean, I had heard those others talking about the Nine-Tails… and I guess… how Sasuke talked about you… now it makes sense… sort of… Naruto?" she was trying to piece together what she could and everyone could tell there wasn't much time before an angry outburst.

Naruto stepped forward, shaking off his confused expression. "I'm sorry Karin, I should've told you, I guess I kind of assumed you already knew, that was my fault." He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

She suddenly went rigid, turning a slight shade of pink at his touch and yanked back, "well, I guess it's not…" she started, and turned and saw the others all staring at the scene. She started to growl, ready to shout at Iruka for not telling her sooner. _I even asked him about Naruto! He never answered! Wait… that wasn't what I was asking about then either… was it? No… but… wha… damn it! They're all staring! I'll shut them up!_

"Hey guys, can you give me a minute so I can explain this? In private." Naruto said, right as Karin turned and drew in breath to shout at all of them. Karin's outburst got lost in a bit of a squeak noise as she saw them all nod and turn to leave. It left the two of them alone after the three men agreed and departed. _Just the two of us? That's only going to make them think more things are going on! Dammmniiiittttt!_ She turned to round on Naruto and saw that he wasn't meeting her eyes anymore, looking down and away a bit. Her fury suddenly vanished in a sudden insight _He honestly feels bad about this…_ she could see it in his face. _And… and… there's something else there… dare I risk trying to sense it?_

"Look, Karin, I'm the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. A lot of my power comes from it, and I'm not proud of that, but I'm doing my best to make it a good thing, a blessing instead of a curse. That's what I need your help with, I can't do it alone." He was deadly serious in a way she hadn't quite seen him before and it startled her.

"Wait a sec," she said, making a sudden realization, "so all those times I sensed something dark and horrible inside you, it was the fox?"

Naruto blushed a bit, "You've been sensing me…?"

Karin's face flushed completely red, "oh! I'm sorry! I know that was wrong, I shouldn't have, it's just habit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" she stammered out excuse after excuse while her face got progressively brighter in embarrassment.

"Ahhh, it's okay… but that uh… doesn't read minds does it?" he tried to laugh the awkwardness of the situation away a bit as he said it.

"Oh~! No, no, it doesn't read minds… I mean… not really, it can sort of get emotional states from people… but no, not thoughts. That's beyond my abilities by a mile I'm sure." She sounded as reassuringly matter-of-factly as she could manage.

"Hmm, that's a relief!" He said and laughed a bit more, which only made her wonder what he was hiding, but she remained quiet as he continued. "Anyways, that only proves that you're the girl for the job. You could sense the fox inside me even then, when I didn't know you were watching!"

She couldn't help but feel a bit of pride. _He really means it… he's actually impressed by that, most people would be furious… and… wait a sec… he's had the fox in him this entire time? Yet… he's so positive… so upbeat… he's carrying a burden every bit as heavy as Sasuke's and look at him. Heh… no wonder you hated him so much Sasuke, you may have been that natural genius, but here's something you couldn't pull off no matter how hard you trained. If only you'd opened up to him more, I'm sure he could've helped you. Instead, you only saw a rival who kept growing stronger and kept eclipsing you. So you turned to the easiest way to find strength… here's someone who never takes the easy way out if it means hurting someone._ She slowly came back out of her thoughts and nodded at the one conclusion she had come to: _I admire him… and I want to help if I can_.

"Naruto, let's try it, I want to see if I can really sense it in you, sure I can prove it to Yamato, but he's different, we need to know if it'll work with you right?" She saw him nod and continued: "Okay, focus on your inner darkness, try to confront it, I'll help you uhm… however I can with this." she ended, slightly embarrassed that she wasn't entirely sure just how she could help, only that she would.

]][[

Naruto sat, his legs crossed and his hands resting in his lap, like he would to channel natural energy. "I'm going to concentrate on it, tell me what you can about what you sense. Okay?"

She nodded in reply, sitting down across from him, making sure not to be close. She remembered what had happened with Bee and his Eight-Tailed chakra, and didn't want to get caught up in anything, knowing the Nine-Tails was even more volatile. _Okay. So far, he's got nothing going on, just the usual chakra emanations…_ "Naruto, I'm not getting anything, I think you need to focus on something else, you're emotionally calm, so I think it's not going to pick up anything bad. I think you need to focus on negative things, the things we all normally try not to think about."

Naruto grit his teeth a little, bracing himself to face unpleasant things, and Karin could feel his aura start to get disturbed. It slowly tinged with darkness, the kind she remembered from Sasuke. "Yes! That's it, I'm sensing your darkness now… it's… eugh!" she grit her own teeth. _This is unpleasant… to say the least! I basically have to reach into the mud and feel around… for something mean and evil._

"Are you okay Karin?" She heard Naruto ask and felt the tenuous grip on the darkness she had starting to slip away as he shifted to concern for her.

"Yeah! Fine, you idiot, focus on you!" she growled back, feeling his darkness surge up a bit as he was rebuked. _This is a pretty inexact thing we're dealing with here…_ she thought and kept her focus on him. "There!" she shouted suddenly as she felt that terrible roar reverberate from him. "That's it! I can 'feel' it, the Nine-Tails in you has your darkness in with it… you're going to have to face it, it's right near the fox."

Naruto groaned a bit, "Just when I thought I could avoid the bastard a little…"

"No!" Karin shouted, "no no, it isn't the fox, he's dark that's true, but you've got to separate your own darkness from him and deal with that first, right?" Naruto grunted agreement, and Karin continued, "just try and visualize it and deal with it in your head, I'll do my best to tell you whether it is getting subdued or growing too much."

Naruto let out a small "mmm" of agreement and approval, and resolve creased his features as he sat there perfectly still. The two sat in silence, Karin was intently focused on Naruto while he was in deep concentration focused inward. Aside from the occasional breeze stirring their clothes and hair, both were motionless and only the occasional words from Karin broke the silence. She'd say things like: "You're letting it get away!" or "No, don't dig too deep!" to keep him focused. The only feature on them that changed and moved was their faces. Karin had begun to sweat from the effort while Naruto actually started to sway a little bit, as though losing his balance despite his stable position.

After a few minutes, he fell backwards panting, and Karin did likewise. "Geez, this is difficult! Every time I think I've got an edge on it, it slips away or evades me!" he complained.

"Oh yeah? You've got the easy part! I've got to try and keep you focused on it, while making sure you don't go deeper than you can handle!" Karin yelled at him.

"This isn't going to be easy…" he muttered.

"Is anything when you're involved…?" Karin asked in a sarcastic fashion, but both started to laugh at the embarrassing level of accuracy in her statement.

"Anyways, lets get those other three back, I'll answer any questions you've got about me and my uhm…" Naruto struggled with how to phrase it.

"Yeah, the fox, I know… and… shit! What'll the others think!" she hurried to her feet and helped him up too, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Oh god, the things I'm gonna have to hear from Iruka…" she groaned.

"Like what?" Naruto asked, not bothering to wipe away any sweat. She didn't answer and just pushed him along, back towards where the others were.

]][[

Several minutes later, and many angry rants from Yamato about how dangerous what they had done was, the group had all been caught up and were standing in a loose circle.

"Can't deny that what they did took brass, even if he is a pain in the ass!" Bee noted in his usual rhyming fashion.

"Yeah, okay, sorry, I know it was dangerous, but at least we know what she does works perfectly for it… now if only I could find a way to actually do it…" Naruto was trying to think while pleading to the others for any ideas.

Karin decided to offer whatever analysis she could, _as a matter of scientific pride!_ she told herself. "Firstly, your darkness is most 'exposed' when you're in emotional turmoil. So somewhere rich in bad and powerful memories would probably work best for this. You'd be surrounded by your darkness and it'd be easier to achieve the state you have to be in to actually deal with it in the first place. Secondly, it is kind of awful on me, it wears me out more than you, so I'll need more routine breaks… but the more we do it, the more familiar you're bound to get and it'll get easier. So we should try as frequently as either of us can handle. Lastly, we need to figure out what a 'success' even is… Bee?" she turned to the man, inquiringly.

"Hmmm" the dark-skinned man rubbed his chin, seemingly in thought, but seconds later it was revealed he had been attempting to find a rhyme, unsuccessfully. "I'm gonna have to give this guy some pointers motha'fucka'!"

Yamato cringed. "Alright, we'll split up for a moment, Naruto, get any pointers you can from Bee, I'll set up to help restrain you if you go out of control so we can try again. Iruka, you can take this time to keep training with Karin until we're ready for her again."

"Alright, sounds good!" Iruka nodded.

"…oh goody, I get to work double-shifts." Karin frowned, knowing that she had no say in the matter.

]][[

Karin sat, catching her breath and getting ready to 'sense' for Naruto again. _What a hassle! This is so much work, but I guess I did say I wanted to be pushed to my limits… didn't think I'd wind up regretting that so soon! Ah but… _she looked up and saw Naruto taking deep breaths and readying himself while Bee whispered advice into his ear. _I guess there are worse things I could spend my time doing… or worse people I could spend it with. This way I get to spend more time with him too… and in a way get to know him better? Nah, that's later, he said he'd answer any questions I have… but what should I ask? "Did it suck growing up with the Nine-Tails inside of you?" Oh gee, that'll be a really difficult one to answer. I mean, how 'nice' could that have been? Wow…_ her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the full blaze of Naruto's chakra. _It's practically the opposite of Sasuke… it is hard to look at it's so bright! I guess Bee told him that it's better to go full force… or maybe because Yamato can restrain him now…? Still… wow, that's a lot of energy, it's kind of making me a bit giddy just being close to it and sensing it._

"Karin, we're all ready, let's begin." Yamato said from the side.

"I'm pretty sure the one who gets to say when we start is Naruto, not you Woody." she snidely threw back at him and was rewarded with a growl for the use of his 'nickname'. She heard Naruto and Iruka both chuckle a bit, and grinned.

"I'm ready Karin." Naruto said at last, his eyes closed, his tone and face both wholly serious. She nodded, not that he could see it and closed her eyes as well to resume her focus on him, shutting out the others chakra from her perception to leave just his. When she was done her own preparations, she gave a small 'ready' of her own and felt Naruto start to plunge into his own thoughts.

_ Here we go again… _she sighed a bit internally, knowing that the warmth of his chakra was about to go away as he immersed himself in his darkness to try and come to grips with it. _Ugh, it's so savage and selfish! How much of this is the fox and how much is Naruto though? I can't quite separate the two as well I'd like to be able to. No… this can't be Naruto, not him, he's stronger than that… wait… huh?_ She snapped out of her thoughts and called out "Naruto! That! Whatever you're thinking of! Focus on it. More! What you've got right now feels more like 'you' and less like the fox!" _That's it! That's what I can ask him about! …wait… if I ask him about all the negative stuff in his life to try and learn what I can focus on and help him discover… that'll drive a pretty big wedge between us. This sucks… either I do my job better… or I get to know him better… wonder if I can somehow juggle both…_ she snapped out of her thoughts suddenly and signaled Yamato. "Rein him in a bit, I can feel it slipping away."

"On it!" he replied, clapping his hands together and summoned several branches that twined around Naruto who remained motionless even as energy bubbled out over him. The branches seemed to be eating the energy and kept from expanding any further. "I'm holding it back, but I can't reduce it without messing this up for you!" Yamato added.

Karin nodded and kept her focus on Naruto. "Okay, Naruto, you have to focus on the things that are negative for you, not the fox. Its hatred and darkness are getting in the way, but you need to solve your own before you can worry about it." She kept her voice flat and even, so as not to interrupt his concentration or her own. Naruto gave no sign that he'd heard her, but she could sense his darkness ebb and change slightly. _This is going to be a very long day…_ she thought bitterly and kept focusing and guiding where she could.

]][[

Hours later, the training was over. Karin was lying on her back on the grass staring at the night sky, a few feet from Naruto who was doing the same. The others had left, having various things to do and having been satisfied with the progress both the two young ninja had made today.

"Ugh, my whole everything hurts." Naruto whispered.

"At least you don't feel like you've been surrounded by the dark and disturbing all day. I'm having a hard time remembering happy things are possible." Karin countered.

"No matter what I do, I can only fight it to a standstill! It's no good… though I suppose that's a step up from not even being able to confront it…"

"Yeah, come on, look on the bright side, you get to achieve some great new power if you succeed. All I get is a pat on the back and a 'thanks for the hard work'!"

"Karin?" Naruto rolled on to his side to sort of face her.

"Yeah?" She matched his motion to look back at him.

"Is it really that much of a burden to you?" He sounded sincerely apologetic.

She paused, considering his tone and thought about it, then smiled warmly, "If it were anyone else, I'd say yes." and was inwardly elated when she saw him smile happily at her reply.

"So, how's Konoha for ya?" He quickly threw out, changing the subject.

"Hah, what little of it I get to see is nice, I suppose it feels good to really have a purpose again though. I mean, under Orochimaru you only have his purposes, and under Sasuke was no different. Under Akatsuki was the worst, I didn't even know what purposes we were being put to, but they weren't good, that's for sure." She mused and saw his rapt attention and felt compelled to continue. "I like it here. It's just, I feel like I'm worth more and, like I said, having a purpose of your own makes all the difference."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I can empathize with that. I didn't have a purpose for a while, even here. Part of the whole 'you have the thing that destroyed the village inside you' deal. Now I'm a hero. It's a bit of a switch."

Karin smirked, "Something tells me you were always playing the hero, or at least, wanted to be." Naruto grinned with a 'caught me' expression on his face. Karin sighed, but all of a sudden flashed a mischievous grin: "So I'm curious, why were you so worried about me reading your thoughts? Got something naughty going on up in that blonde mess?"

Naruto's face turned a light shade of pink and he rolled onto his back again. "Ahh, it's just umm… your thoughts are private ya know?"

She matched his motion again and stared at the night sky. "Yeah… yeah I do."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, was just thinking about some things."

"Like what?"

"Well, like what you're going to do after you master that thing inside you."

"Oh… well, it doesn't really matter does it? I'm just glad you got to know me for me, and don't think less of me because of it."

She felt her face flush at that, "Geez you're dense sometimes you know?" she mustered as much haughtiness as she could to recover her poise, "I just meant, I've been seeing you everywhere, and now this training? I can't get away from you it seems. I'll only be getting away from you after this training is over it looks like."

"Oh! Oh… did you want to?" he sounded crestfallen.

"No!" the answer was jerked from her before she could think about it and all of her poise went with it, her face turning a bit brighter a shade of pink. "I just meant…"

"It's okay, I know what you mean. This all feels a little forced or coincidental…" His voice betrayed a bit of confusion, as though he was only saying it to stop her from having to explain it for him.

"Well, I keep getting shunted around from circumstances and people giving me only a few options. I kind of want to pick for myself." She held up a hand as though to grab the stars above her.

"Well, I guess I can't really complain about these circumstances and people… they brought you here after all…" he mused idly and heard a tiny gasp from her before she could stifle it. He laughed nervously, trying to cover up what he'd said somewhat, "Heh, what would you pick for you, Karin?"

"I think…" She turned to look at him staring up at the sky. She stared quietly at the wonder on his face and the friendly smile she'd grown familiar of. "I think I'd pick…"

He slowly turned to look back at her, realizing she'd been staring at him. "Karin? Are you alright? Your face is all red, I can see it even in the twilight."

She shook her head a bit and sat up, turning away from him and breathing heavily. _What in the world is going on? Why can't I look at his face? Every time I try, I feel like… like…_ She got up and looked over her shoulder at him. "I… I… I'll see you tomorrow." she dashed away, expecting him to follow and relieved when he didn't. She fell onto her bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling and not even seeing it. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard she felt she could hear it in the still darkness. _Oh my god, my chest is so tight… this isn't like him… this isn't like me around him! This isn't some crush on good looks… this is… this is… do I like him? _She mouthed a word at the ceiling, not pronouncing it outside of her head. If anyone had seen it, they would've been certain it could only have been one thing. "Naruto."

]][[

_What other obstacles could lie in the path of Naruto's training? The maidens of Konoha!_

]][[_  
_

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.3/END


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:**

Hello again everyone, let me just say for those who thought I wasn't here anymore or had abandoned the story: Never despair! As I respond in the comments below, I never give up a story without informing people beforehand. So, even if I don't update for a while, it's just because I'm busy, or going through something difficult, or the chapter is taking longer to polish than normal. In this particular case: the story was taking longer AND I was busy! This is the longest chapter yet, by quite a lot, nearly double even. Next chapter will probably come out sooner and be much shorter than this one (more on par with the length of the previous chapters) but don't hold me to that, it is Final Exams soon for my college. Aside from that, I just gotta say, I love the comments. Hearing genuinely thought out feedback on my stories really drives me to work harder. I'm not trying to extort reviews and favorable comments from you readers, in fact, I'm a-ok with getting reviews saying they hate it. What I like, however, is the ones that give me something I can respond to. In honor of that, in fact, I've put a new section up top here specifically to respond to the reviewers with good comments that I feel merit a response to. Also, anyone who doesn't care can now easily skip it as it is no longer integrated into my author's notes! Still, seeing that comment/review number higher than it was last time I checked makes my day usually and encourages me to work harder on this project (note: "U RIGHT MOR NOW CUZ IT GOOD STORY" comments aren't exactly thrilling at all).

Oh, and people who wrote lengthy comments _should_ check the comment response section, I probably responded to you.

And now to address the big issues coming up shortly (next chapter they'll probably start becoming more prominent) that I feel must be once more clarified. Firstly, the manga is currently chugging along on its own and as I address below, big character reveals about origins aren't going to be likely used [EX: if they reveal Jiraiya was blood-related to Naruto or something, I likely wouldn't use or acknowledge it in Spiral Heart]. They may be taken into consideration, but don't count on them becoming canon in this work. Second biiiiig issue: The story is about to get more violent and more 'out there'. We're rapidly approaching where the M rating will be taking full authority. Why do I say that? Because in mine, people die and there will be sexual content as well. So, just a reminder, this is M. I know it hasn't shown that yet, but we're gonna be there soon folks. Last issue is the big divergences that are coming up. Things are going to start changing. I hope I don't lose any readers to the changes that'll come into focus soon, but if I do, my apologies. Those who get skeptical about the stuff coming up, I would ask only that you trust my 'plan' for these things. Also, just as a teaser for what I have in mind, I am going to casually state that I thought of the Bloodline Expansions (Kekkei Touta) before the manga revealed its existence.

Anyways, enough ranting from me, enjoy the comments section and enjoy the long-awaited fourth chapter of **Naruto: Spiral Heart**!

**End Author's Notes**

Comment Responses:

TheLonelyVagabond: Glad to hear you liked it so much! Again, sorry for the delay, writing can take a surprising amount of time when you're really going over it so heavily! I appreciate the not hurrying or demanding a new chapter, I assure you I'm going pretty much fast as I can for the most part while balancing school, social life, and without burning myself out on the story itself. Patience is a virtue and I'm glad to see you have it! I only hope I can continue to live up to your expectations!

Hektols: Regarding whether or not Tsunade made a mistake, I feel she said that more to intimidate and attempt to frighten some caution into Naruto. Moreover, Sasuke is with Akatsuki at the moment, and given his volatile nature, it is highly likely he'd be unable to curb his bloodlust to take Naruto alive. Regardless, it was a mild slip-up on the author's part, but a somewhat intentional one. I appreciate being called on it though! That's the kind of thing you don't notice in your own writing, and had there not been a fair explanation to do it that way, you would've caught me red-handed!

Comments regarding the waterfall of truth: Glad to hear everyone liked my way of handling that! I can't tell you how worried I was that I was going to take a whole ton of flak over that method and that people would think it was silly and unreasonable. I'm also glad that people are okay with me not presenting Naruto's internal sojourn. I feel like the story will progress a lot more smoothly if the internal story-telling and encounter with his dark self (and later indepth events) are kept off-screen. What Naruto chooses to share, at that point, will be more poignant. Anyways, glad to see I have support for the way I'm handling that.

NeilHighwind: Glad I'm keeping the characters believable for you. My goal here is to make it so my readers can effectively picture this in manga/anime format in their minds. It should be something where imagining it isn't difficult at all. That, and I want people to feel like the characters are still true to their origins (to an extent). Hopefully their motivations stay accurately in-character up until, and hopefully after, my plot starts to majorly diverge (beyond even how it already has).

Brian Stentzel: This chapter should solve your Hinata conflicts pretty thoroughly, though I wouldn't count her out as far as any romance in this story just yet! Regarding pacing, I'm sorry if it does plod at a few parts, but rushing feelings cheapens them in my opinion. For the sake of a story, dragging it out makes the actual moments entirely sweeter. Now, on a related note to your unrelated note: Hanabi. I'm not going to lie, she's an enormously bit-character from what I see. She shows up maybe once during the Chuunin exams, in a few flashbacks, and maybe in some anime filler or is off-handedly referenced. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about obscure characters, but I feel like she just doesn't have enough character development of her own. "Arrogant/bratty little sister" is an impression I never even got from Hanabi, perhaps it comes from reading any fics that involved her? Like I said, when I read Naruto I barely see any presence of character from her whatsoever. If you could cite the in-manga examples, I'd be appreciative. In the meantime, I'm going to include her as an homage to your remarkable comments and reviews. I hope the way I involve her meets with your approval, and if it doesn't, I apologize, but I created a role for her entirely in retrospect. It is not a large one, but it is, as you put it: better than nothing. Regarding the central couple, I'll not be spoiling anything with Karin and Naruto's pairing, what happens there you'll just have to see for yourself! On the subject of 'cannons' and 'canon', bah to microsoft word assuming I'm an idiot and/or pirate. Lastly... bribes you say? You have my attention. Shoot a message my way with what you had in mind. I won't try to claim I'm beyond influence (though there are limits to what I can do without damaging the plot and setting), after all, I did give Hanabi some more attention as a direct result of your eloquent efforts. Regardless, shoot me a message and we can discuss that one.

MKTerra: Ahhhh the Uzumaki bloodline... this is a pretty heated subject in regards to Karin or Naruto isn't it? I have to completely disagree with you, unfortunately, on Kushina's survival. She was already dying it looked like, the Kyubi-nail only sped the process up. I mean, she says, without any further wounding after it is unsealed: "I'll drag the nine-tails... back... and die with it inside me..." That, to me, implies she's already dying and was just going to use her last effort to seal the fox back inside to die with her. So, in my story, no, there's no "godly vitality" associated with an Uzumaki family line. Naruto's vitality is a result of his Jinchuuriki status. Similarly, the chakra-chains I don't feel belong anywhere else than with a Jinchuuriki and their Bijuu. She was the host of the Fox and naturally developed the ability to restrain it since her clan was naturally skilled in such things. I look at it more as a technique she mastered than any kind of bloodline limit. I apologize for crushing any hopes and being disagreeable, but I don't want you to be disappointed later when this doesn't come up. Lastly, I'll look over your works a little later on; reading them now would probably only slow down the release of another chapter, and that seems like it may be dangerous to my health based on some of these reviews!

Tristan76: Similar to MKTerra, I'm sorry to disappoint, but she's not Uzumaki Karin. Regardless of whether the manga later makes such a reveal as that, she is -not- an Uzumaki in Spiral Heart. I don't want Naruto pairing off with a relative no matter how distant. Nagato, I'll still consider an Uzumaki, but I am putting my foot down on it and declaring that Karin is not. Hopefully this doesn't bother you too much, because I'd hate to lose a reader over that, but again, just telling ya the truth of that one right now. My apologies if that effort for Karin to make a good impression gave you an additional insight there. Conversely, bravo at that kind of deductive reasoning! While the guess was inaccurate (in this case due to what may wind up as entirely author preference), it was a remarkable guess with some well-founded reasonings behind it. I applaud that and hope you continue to read and make more predictions. With the way you came to that conclusion I'd be delighted to see which of the other things I leave in as hints you pick up on. For additional thoughts on the whole "Uzumaki" thing, see my response to MKTerra.

Darkslayer1323 & Dark Lord Namikaze: Oh ye of little faith! I don't abandon stories unless my life has gone and been truly upended. Short of being rendered comatose, even in the worst of circumstances I'll swing by and post a chapter explaining the situation and my need to take an extended break. So don't worry! It'll come out and eventually it'll be finished!

Nezumi0505: Yikes! And now we see my request for full reviews taken to the other extreme! Of course, you were just gushing your joy and squee at getting another chapter of the story, so that's fine. Just glad you're enjoying the story; it is for you, after all. Maybe next time be a little more concise or 'reviewing'. Listing off all the parts you like for the longer chapters will be enormous if I manage to keep impressing ya!

ShadowWolf Zero: Yah, I appreciate that, my own success in life takes precedence over this, unfortunately for some, and I'm glad you realize it. As far as when I pair Naruto and Karin, personally I try to avoid retconning a story where I can. Why do more work to make the characters make sense when the mangaka did that for me? More-over, if a character acts wrong, then why are you using that character? Romeo & Juliet is a classic story archetype, but sometimes stories are just "Naruto & Sasuke" and what's the point? Just load up a copy of Romeo & Juliet and use the find-and-replace tool. When I write a fanfiction my #1 goal is to take the characters and use them... NOT to put paper bags with character faces on them over the heads of completely different or original characters. I hope you like how I handle Hinata in this chapter!

Hisoka316 & Xsusanox: Thanks to both of you! I hope the next chapter continues to please and impress you, your comments are greatly appreciated. Also, Hisoka, nice icon, even though I'm more of a Grimoire Heart kinda person.

FamousFox89: As long as you keep putting "FamousFox aka ..." then I'm still gonna call ya FamousFox. Sign your posts with just "The_Black_Crow" if that's gonna be your alias. Gripe aside, thanks for the compliment; I try my best to make the story actually fit into the universe. After all, if the story I write doesn't relate to Naruto and extend off of it, why am I making it Naruto-based at all? So I'm glad you see it as a legitimate divergent point from the original plot.

Naruto Warpaint: Awesome! Do you mind if I ask where you found this? I at least hope it was portrayed positively! Anyways, glad you like it, hope it keeps your interest!

End Comment Responses

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 4: _The Maidens of Konoha

Naruto sat on the grass, once again attempting to battle and subdue his inner darkness. The past few days had been rough, for all involved parties. Yamato could tell Naruto was straining to find his inner darkness unlike the first day with Karin's sensory help. Karin, meanwhile, was doing everything she could to not focus on him. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew the two of them were having difficulties.

"What's wrong with the two of you? For the past three days, the two of you haven't made even noticeable progress." Yamato, who'd finally lost patience at the unproductive sessions, chimed in.

Karin rounded on him angrily, "Naruto just doesn't want to find his darkness, he's too busy thinking about other things, it isn't even worth focusing on him right now!" she shouted, gesturing angrily towards him as he slowly got to his feet.

"Karin, I am just having a little difficulty… I've been feeling really… positive lately…" Naruto sort of trailed off, unable to really express his actual thoughts as he clambered to his feet.

"See? There he goes again! He's hiding what he's thinking and he's not thinking about confronting his darkness at all!" Karin argued.

"Fine fine! I'll do it, we're starting again!" Naruto angrily called out and sat back down in a huff. Karin rejoined him seconds later and started to focus.

"Naruto! Slow down! That's too much!" she shouted, but he didn't seem to heed her. Yamato startled in reaction and looked to Bee. The dark-skinned man nodded and they both clapped their hands together after forming numerous hand seals. The suppression techniques activated seconds after Naruto's features started to take on a more bestial appearance. His chakra bubbled over and the first tail began forming only for it to suddenly be pinned under several wood-formed dragon-images and for the sudden appearance of an apparition of the Eight-Tails slapping Naruto backwards. The blonde tumbled backwards and left the horrible chakra behind, almost as if he'd been torn out of it. The bestial 'after-image' of his chakra dissipated and Naruto's features returned to normal.

"That's it, take a break, both of you stay put. We're going to have to talk this over." Yamato commanded, Bee nodded agreement and released the technique that had unlocked his bijuu powers temporarily to subdue the emerging Nine-Tails chakra. The two of them looked at Naruto and Karin and saw a strange play of emotions on the faces of both.

Naruto looked ashamed at his sudden loss of control, the first time since his lessons had really begun. He was looking anywhere but Karin, who had her gaze cast down at the ground and seemed very upset. She looked lost in her own thoughts and Yamato had a guess, but Iruka came forth and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to her, you take Naruto." Iruka didn't wait for Yamato to reply and walked over to Karin, offering a hand up off the ground. "C'mon, take a walk with me. We should chit chat a little. I've got some suggestions for techniques too."

Yamato looked at Naruto: "Oi, you, lets go, we'll go the other way and have a little talk about just how dangerous it is for you to be trying to prove a point about your powers." Naruto shook off his dazed state and made a small mumble of assent and followed the man as he led the way.

Bee sat down and closed his eyes, focusing inward. _Bee. You felt it didn't you? That boy has an absurd amount of power. I can't even imagine how strong he'll end up getting if he can master the Nine-Tails, but you and I both felt it. The fox isn't going to cooperate easily._ Bee smiled and said aloud (and inside as well, but with no one around anymore he needn't concern himself with appearances), "Got that right, he ain't like you, he's a grade-A pain in the ass foo'." _Oh for the love of…! Bee, stop rapping. This is serious, if that boy can't get a hold of things, we're all in a lot of trouble._ "Got that right, he and that fox need to get tight." _…I wonder if that Karin girl is really a good idea? You saw the way she's been looking at him._ "Yeah, and the darkness he can't reach is because he's kinda got the hots for teach." _Only you would call that 'kind of', he likes her, she likes him. It is clear as day, that's the thing causing problems lately._ "Better not be askin' me to go and be steppin', boys and girls deserve what they be gettin'." _No, I am not going to try and tell you to break them apart, but they need to master their emotions. She can't focus on him, and he can't put her out of his thoughts_. "Ah, you got me there, but they sure make a cute pair. Give them a bit longer, if they resolve it on their own they'll just get stronger! WHEEE!" _For once, I agree with your idiotic rapping._ After that, the Eight-Tailed beast fell silent within him once more and Bee looked around. "Wonder how long a break we takin? I think I'll get some food, my stomach's achin'."

]][[

"So just what is eating you up so badly Naruto? You've not been yourself these past few days at all. You can barely focus, you seem in a good mood during training but you can't accomplish a thing. What's going on?" Yamato inquired, having already finished his lecture about the dangers of the fox and on Naruto taking it lightly.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear the heavy air of being sternly lectured before he replied, "It's nothing…" but could tell from one look on Yamato's face that no amount of dismissal was going to get him to drop it. "Okay, okay, the problem is one of uh… um… a female kind?" Naruto blushed a bit, obviously embarrassed and not sure how to really go about saying it all. This was one of those problems that the young man had clearly not really faced before or even given voice to his thoughts on it until now.

"Oh geez, I had figured it was this kind of thing but that didn't make me ready to hear it." Yamato resolved himself to try and help, "So is it with Hinata?"

"Yeah, it is." he replied.

"Okay, well-" Yamato began.

"And Sakura" Naruto interrupted.

"…caught between two?" Yamato was surprised and opened his mouth to continue before Naruto interrupted him again.

"And Karin."

"…Naruto, how did you wind up torn between three girls?" Yamato asked, before he could even stop himself.

"I don't know! Sakura was kind of always there… and… well, yeah, Hinata was always there too! Now Karin's here and my thoughts are all muddled about it!" Naruto poured out as though he'd had no one to even mention this to yet and was glad for any kind of audience.

"Naruto, I'm not so sure you should tell me every little detail-" Yamato began.

"I like Sakura, she was my first crush, but she's so heavily in denial about Sasuke and then there was that fake confession to me that I think was kind of real. It's strange, I want to like her but it doesn't feel like I really like her. It is-" Naruto cut off as Yamato's terror face appeared.

"I don't want to know! This isn't your job to spill your heart out to anyone. Do you wanna die?" Yamato asked him, taking advantage of the effect his terror-face has on Naruto. Naruto shook his head side-to-side in sudden silence and Yamato continued. "Good," he dropped the terror-face, "so here's what you're going to do Naruto. Stop, take a few minutes, and think about how you feel on each one. You're going to have to resolve this, and if I even attempt to help you it is only gonna hurt your efforts with all of them."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, fortunately not seeing Yamato roll his own eyes at Naruto's silly gesture of concentration to 'think'. _How do I feel? Well… let's see…_

_Sakura. She's so pretty, I've always been interested in her, haven't I? _

_Hinata. She's the purest, nicest person I've ever met. She's always been around me, and always trying to help._

_Karin. The new girl… she's different, she's beautiful and I enjoy her company so much… she's so unique._

He opened his eyes slowly, "I feel like it's gonna take more than a few minutes…"

Yamato chuckled, "That's something I can understand. Fair enough. Well, how about you-"

"Naruto!" a voice called out, the two turned to see the newcomer, and recognized him instantly.

"Oh! Neji! Hey!" Naruto called back, waving at him. "Can I get a minute?" he asked Yamato, obviously happy to have been bailed out of the difficult topic.

Yamato nodded, "I'll let you two chat, I've got to go confirm a few things with Iruka and Bee. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Naruto flashed an idiotic grin and made a noise of agreement. Yamato shrugged, knowing it was the best he was going to get and figuring he wouldn't be too far away even if something were to happen he'd sense it instantly.

Neji approached Naruto, walking past Yamato and the two nodding in recognition of each other. Naruto beamed at Neji, that familiar grin of random fortune on his face. "Juken!" he shouted and slammed a palm into Naruto's chest with blinding speed that sent him hurtling back.

Naruto rolled in the dirt and slowly dragged himself to his feet, "Hey, what the hell! What was that for!" he yelled, clutching his chest. Iruka and Yamato started to move forward at the sight of the fight, but Bee said something that stopped them.

Neji fell back out of the combat stance he'd adopted to land the blow and walked towards Naruto. "Relax, I didn't use much, just enough to vent some frustration at you. You know why I did it too, so don't play dumb. You can't keep ignoring my cousin, I won't stand for it."

"I wasn't planning to… really, it isn't like that." Naruto's pained expression changed slightly, no longer a wince of physical pain, now one of a more internal turmoil. "It's just that… well…"

Neji shook his head, "This isn't something I care to tell you how to do, only that you actually do something. Your cowardice and avoidance of it is a mockery to everything you've shown me thus-far about yourself. Naruto, you're better than this. You never give up on things or take the easy way out. Quit ignoring your responsibilities here!" Neji's voice had raised a bit, driving the point home to Naruto with a ruthless efficiency.

Naruto was honestly surprised to see Neji actually showing concern for his cousin. _Either he's gotten better about this kind of thing, or it really is serious… _he sighed aloud, his thoughts drifting a bit back to that moment…

]][[

She had leapt in and swung at Pain, he had dodged it effortlessly, clearly an opponent far greater than anything she could handle. Naruto had seen it in her face, she both knew Pain was too strong and didn't care. She was throwing her life on the line for him.

"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto!" she'd shouted and Naruto had begged her to fall back against such a foe, but she had only calmly told him "I know…"

All of his begging and arguments had fallen on deaf ears. "I'm… just being selfish…" she'd said, before adding "I'm here of my own free will."

After that, she had said words that he did not, no, couldn't forget. "…I used to always cry and give up… I nearly went the wrong way… but you… you showed me the right way… I was always chasing you… wanting to overtake you… I just wanted to walk with you… I just wanted to be with you… you changed me! Your smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you!" she had shouted, and Naruto knew exactly what she would say next.

"Because I… love you…" and then she'd attempted to attack Pain. Naruto bitterly remembered the result, feeling the anger, sorrow, and outrage welling up inside him once more. He quelled it, she was okay, so he needn't let that foulness take him over again. He hadn't been ready for it, he still wasn't sure how to take it. Part of him had known all along, but the rest of him didn't think it at all. He found even then he would've dashed her hopes if it could've meant saving her from that, but seeing the look in her face he knew he couldn't. That… and something had held his tongue. He had begged her not to fight, but after she'd finished saying her piece, he couldn't even speak at all.

]][[

Naruto shook his head. "Neji… that isn't what I want. I don't even know what I want right now. I can't entirely-" Naruto began meekly…

…and was solidly punched in the face. No 'gentle fist' style, just a raw blow to the cheek that staggered him backwards. "Snap out of it! What's wrong with you? The Naruto I knew wouldn't be this confused, this dismayed, and this helpless. The Naruto who beat me and showed me a way that even these eyes could not see would never ignore a friend." Naruto's expression kept growing more and more somber under Neji's withering barrage. "I don't care if you don't return her feelings, that's not my business, but she deserves to hear your feelings about her from you, regardless of what they are… and she deserves to hear it now."

"He's right, ya know." Another voice chimed in. Naruto, who'd been rubbing his face turned to see the newcomer.

"Ino?" He asked, a little confused why she was here and not liking the look of it.

"Hi Naruto… sorry to butt in like this, but I feel he's got the right idea and you can't really stall this any longer."

"I'm not stalling!" Naruto complained, throwing up his arms in frustration at the way everyone had been treating it.

"Then what are you doing?" Neji demanded.

"I… I don't know." Naruto replied, unable to look back at him.

Ino held up a hand to stop Neji who looked as though he were about to get violent once more. "Beating him up any more won't do any good. He's already clearly suffering through this on the inside." She said calmly, and saw she was right when Naruto looked towards her as though grateful for the support. "But… Naruto, you can't act like this only bothers or effects you. I know Sakura is going through a lot of turmoil over this and I'm sure Hinata is too. Neither of them are going to do anything past what they've already done. I can't imagine either of them being brave enough to approach you… and they really shouldn't have to."

"Wha… what did Sakura do? She was lying about that confession to try and get me to leave Sasuke to her." Naruto asked, confusedly.

Neji sighed and shook his head but Ino just chuckled a bit, "Classic Naruto… that was the first time she could say something like that to you, you don't really think she made up every last bit of it do you?"

Naruto looked skyward, as though an answer would fall from it, or like he could fly away and avoid all this. He took a deep breath, "You're right. Of course there was more to it… even I could tell that. I just didn't want to really see it."

Ino reached out and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Look, I have a hunch on where your fancy lies… and I'm sure Neji does too-" she saw him nod "-and whoever has it, you need to tell them all anyway. It's your responsibility."

"Well, I have a strange relationship… erm… I have mixed feelings about them all. It isn't something I can easily explain."

"But! Your hesitation is gonna be your undoing if you keep it going like that." A new voice chimed in, a bark accompanying it that revealed it to be none-other than Kiba with his best friend Akamaru. Naruto groaned at the arrival of yet another person here to give him a 'talk' about this, but stifled it quickly enough to not really show it or anger any of the three. "If you keep this inside and don't do anything you're gonna wind up like… sorry Ino…" He paused, hesitant, but Ino had a sorrowfully resolved look on her face, she already knew what he was going to say and nodded for him to continue. "Well… like Sakura. She's still trying to keep it all bottled up inside and sort it all out herself without telling anyone or expressing it fairly or honestly to the people it involves. Heck, look what she did last mission! She screwed us over, nearly killed herself, and got you all poisoned up! Then she's back here acting like she's some high authority because the Hokage likes her as a star pupil, and theeen-" he started to continue but a loud 'ahem' from Ino made him remember that he'd already made his point and was now simply bashing her.

"Uhh… yeah! So…" Kiba tried to recover, but Ino cut him off.

"The point is, Naruto, you need to take responsibility, you're not a kid anymore."

"Maybe he still is." Neji teased, causing Naruto to fluster, but Ino held up a hand to stop everyone from fighting or commenting.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's go." Ino turned to leave with Neji and Kiba, but stopped, "Oh, I've got to ask him one more thing, you two go ahead, I'll catch up." The other two nodded, kept walking, and slowly struck up conversation between themselves, mostly about Kiba's disappointment that he'd missed Neji hitting Naruto.

Naruto stared awkwardly as Ino walked back towards him and leaned in close to whisper. Before she began, Neji turned, apparently unable to bear a comment from Kiba (something along the lines of "Wow, didn't know Ino could boss you around!") and shouted "Naruto you have three days! If at that point you haven't talked to Hinata, you'll have to deal with me, and I won't hold back!"

Naruto groaned. _Oh great, a time limit_. He heard Kiba laughing and then promptly dodging blows from Neji, but the two left. Ino only shook her head and laughed a bit before leaning back towards him. "I'm going to help you a bit."

Naruto's eyes widened and he was suddenly very interested, and she led him away a bit so as to be completely out of earshot. Naruto was oblivious to the funny looks this got, Iruka chuckled, Bee had to hold back outright laughing, and Yamato had his face in his hands, thinking Naruto had 'broadened his horizons' even farther.

]][[

Ino sat down on a fallen tree log, kicking her feet up to the remains of a branch to sit in a pixyish pose while Naruto stood nearby. "So…!" she said, grinning, obviously enjoying her role in this.

Naruto scratched the back of his head absentmindedly. _I never knew Ino enjoyed gossiping… then again, I don't really see her that much._ "So you said you'd help me out somehow, right?"

Ino nodded, "That's right. I know who all has your fancy…"

Naruto was shocked out of his confused posture, "How do you know?"

Ino giggled, "Oh come on Naruto, you're not exactly good at keeping things private." He said nothing in response, only staring back at her determinedly. "But then again, that's a good thing in some ways… and you're more courageous than anyone I've ever known. Truth is," she looked away as her face turned a bit pink, but then turned back with a mischievous smile, "if you were just a bit cuter I'd be interested in ya too!" and stuck her tongue out at him.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Come on, don't say things like that, it's already bad enough!"

Ino recoiled a bit in surprise, "Oh? Bad enough? You're the only guy I know who'd say having the interest of three girls is bad. Of course, that's only because you can't be there for each one. You'd never mean it negatively. I know that."

Naruto had caught on one word and ignored everything else. "Three?"

Ino smiled warmly at him, amused at both his innocence and his curiosity. "Yes, three. Unless you've been even busier than I thought and there are some I don't know about… but that's just unlikely." She tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully for a moment, stopping in time to interrupt Naruto just as he opened his mouth. "I know Hinata loves you, I don't think anyone in the village doesn't know that. So I don't really have anything to tell you aside from the fact that one is clearly your move."

Naruto nodded his begrudging agreement.

"As far as Sakura goes…" she sighed loudly. "I want to tell you to choose her. I want you to help her… but… I can't. She's in so deep in her own mess now… the only one who can help her out of it is her. Until she's ready, even if you were to respond to her feelings in kind, she wouldn't be able to handle it. I only… well… be good to her. She is more fragile than she wants to think she is."

Naruto nodded, and Ino was pleased to see that he seemed to have resolved himself entirely to making sure Sakura wasn't hurt in the end. "You've got it Ino, I'll make sure she's okay no matter what it comes to. I promise."

Ino hopped down from the log and poked Naruto. "That about covers it! But don't go approaching any of them until you know yourself for certain! Don't go feeling obligated, figure your own heart out and go from there. If you're still not ready, tell them that you're not ready, not any of us… but only if you really mean it. No more using that excuse!"

Naruto got flustered, "Hey! What about the third!"

"Oh?" Ino looked genuinely confused for the moment and saw the angry expression on Naruto's face. "Oh! Heh, well, c'mon, you don't need to really be told do you?" Naruto started to get flustered and she could tell he wasn't going to drop it at all. "Okay okay! Well, let me put it this way. If my guess about how you feel is right, then my guess about her is right too."

Naruto stopped to think about it, staring down towards the ground to kick at a tuft of dirt. "I think… that makes sense…" he said absentmindedly before turning back up to look back at Ino only to see a log sitting there with a smiling face painted on it. He turned to look rapidly left and right before seeing her standing near a distant tree.

"Sorry to cut out on you, but I can only tell you what you already know! It'd not be fair to gossip on the girls that heavily, besides, I think we both know you already know what you want and from who!" she shouted from the distance.

Naruto stood flabbergasted before shouting back: "That's not fair, you never told me all about the third one!"

Ino's giggle could faintly be heard, "Naruto! Come on, we both know you have a thing for the redhead!" she shouted before she vanished behind the trees.

Naruto sighed, knowing it'd be pointless to try and chase her. She'd said her piece… _and she was right. I really didn't need to hear what she had to say, was it really that obvious to everyone?_ he shook his head, clearing that thought away when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, we're taking the rest of the day off after some agreement. You've got to get your head on right. No more accidents or mishaps during training, we can't afford it and Bee says that he needs to investigate something." Yamato's voice came from behind him.

"What? But we barely started!" Naruto complained, never one to give up training and turning around to face him. His tone fell flat at the end of his complaint, Yamato had his familiar terror face present.

"Really want to argue that with me?"

"Ahh… no… that's okay. Uhm, what is Bee investigating though?" Naruto choked out in reply, obviously defeated by the face Yamato used regularly as of late.

He dropped the terror face, "Well, it's classified. I can't just up and tell you. Besides, another reason is that Iruka insists you need a day to get your 'affairs in order… before you have one'." he shrugged, "those aren't my words by the way."

Naruto looked confused but quickly snapped out of it. He mustered his most sincere tone he could manage and pushed all the earnestness into it he could: "Alright, I'm going to go spend some time alone. Please don't send anyone after me, I won't try anything stupid."

Yamato considered it for a moment, "No, but we'll keep a nice distance. Fair?"

Naruto paused to consider it, "not going to get much better am I?" he smiled awkwardly, saw the nod from Yamato and then added, "Yeah, sounds good. I'll be on top of the Hokage monument."

Yamato seemed about to reply but then dropped it without saying anything. He turned around and walked away, waving to Naruto as the blonde youth walked in another direction.

]][[

The stone underneath him was firm and reassuring, he sat on it while quietly looking out over Konoha's reconstruction. The village was slowly rebuilding itself back into something that looked like what he'd known. _A lot of people would be upset about it never 'being the same' again, but that's okay, times change. The people are alright and that's what really matters._ He thought quietly about it, but then he sighed. _That's not why you're up here Naruto. You have to figure this out… let's start with Sakura._ He stared up at clouds moving through the sky sluggishly, almost as reluctant as he was to really consider the things he knew he had to at the moment.

His thoughts drifted to the pink haired girl that he knew was going through a hardship of her own. He thought of her when she had long hair, when she had short hair, covering everything he knew about her from the first time he saw her to the last time he saw her this weekend. _She's a good person, she doesn't deserve a lot of what she puts herself through. Unfortunately… she's so hung up on Sasuke… there was a time when I felt like I loved her. It was when I failed to bring him back… that's when it changed_. He groaned aloud, never having quite come to terms with that particular failure. It wasn't that he couldn't forgive himself for it, it was more that it never stopped hurting whenever he recalled it. _Still, that's when it all changed. I realized that even if I'd brought him back, she'd never look at me the way she looks at even the memory of him. Especially with the way she swore she'd help the next time. She's been trying so hard and I just want to help her. She feels more like a sister I never had._ He shot to his feet. "That's it!" he shouted out loud to himself. _She's like a younger sister… I would've said older once upon a time, but she's going through a crisis right now that… well, honestly, I have to help her through it. She's always sort of counted on others, doesn't really seem like a big sister! Anyways, that's how I feel about her, one of my best friends, one of my… family really. Like the rest of Team 7._ He nodded, a smile growing on his face at his success of figuring it out.

A large grin on his face, he sat back down. "One down, two to go, eh?" he gave himself a fake punch in the arm. _Alright, who is next… well, if we're going in order of how long we've really known them. Hinata._ His grin faded instantly, he knew it wasn't going to be easy at all. He had come to his conclusion on Sakura pretty easily, but her recent troubles had made her more easily understandable. Hinata, on the other hand… _I can't lie to myself on this one. I like her. What happened with Nagato… that's proof enough right there. I wouldn't have responded even half that violently without my emotions being directly involved. Every time she comes closer to me, she gets more and more hurt. First with Neji… then over the years there've just been more, the way she stood up to Nagato was almost certain, only his own powers had brought her back from her suicidal charge. _He leaned downwards, unable to really face out at the brightness around him and staring instead into the shadow he cast on the rocks. _Hinata… I want to protect you… I want to keep inspiring you… _he gazed outwards into the horizon. _I don't know what it is you see in me with those eyes of yours, but whatever it is, I don't want you to lose it because of me._

_Hinata… I think… I think she's better off without me entirely. Err… hmm, no, she's my friend. Probably my best friend in all of Konoha, she's the only one who'll reliably stand up for me. _He chuckled, remembering the Chuunin exam when she tried to help him cheat. _Always risking absolutely everything about herself to try and help me… I want her to be safe. I don't think she'll ever be that way the more she tries to be like me and around me. So… I always want to keep her safe and protect her and she's my best friend, but she's not…_ he stopped and continued aloud. "She's not you. Is she?"

He looked back upwards. "I can try and fool myself all I want, but she's not you… Karin." _How did all that start? _His thoughts drifted to the way he'd first seen her, in the middle of an argument with Sakura. She'd been full of fire and energy, and… _I have to be honest with myself at least, she is pretty. The way her hair falls unevenly and haphazardly on one side but perfectly smooth on the other. The way she always straightens her glasses with her arms folded. At first, I really thought I was interested just because of the fact that she knew about Sasuke. That may have been the reason I first gave her my attention, but… every time I saw her after that…_

Naruto leaned back and lay on the rock, staring upwards, arms spread wide. _I keep seeing her, and now this training together. It's like fate. How would I not feel this way about such a pretty girl… and she's not like Sakura or Hinata. She's so full of her own person. When she's unsure it's so cute, she does her best to hide it but it only makes it more plainly visible. She doesn't hide who she is._ "Wonder who that reminds me of!" He laughed aloud at his sarcastic comment. _She's a lot like me in her own way._

_I'm getting off topic._ He reminded himself. _It's not like Sakura, who was a crush and is now more of a sister. It's not like Hinata, who is my friend and always will be someone I want to protect. I can argue all the reasons for why I might feel things for Karin… but the truth is. I feel them. There's no use lying or trying to guess about how it started. The point is… I'm in love with her. _He smiled at the thought.

"Now… how the hell… do I tell any of those three?" his smile vanished and he slapped a hand across his face. "This is going to take a while…"

]][[

She sat in her room, staring up at a dot in the distance. She was looking at the Hokage monument, and could just barely make out a figure on top of it. "Maybe I'm new here, but that seems a bit disrespectful. Who would stand on the monuments besides the Hokage?" She shook her head, not really wanting to, but forcing herself back to focusing on her earlier thoughts.

_I only like him because he's like Sasuke! _she thought, trying to rationalize her out of control emotions. "Except he's not like Sasuke. He's everything good that was in Sasuke with none of the bad." she admonished herself aloud. _Yeah, well he's not six kinds of hot like Sasuke is! Sasuke had that raw sex-appeal that makes a girl shiver!_ she gave a mock little squirm to help emphasize her mental point; acknowledging that even if she had written off any interest in Sasuke, she could still think he was sexy.

"Except…" she brushed her hair out of her face a bit with a casual gesture. "Except Sasuke didn't make me smile. He never made me feel safe… and happy… and wanted." She stared back at the dot trying to distract herself, but it was useless. _Sasuke's smile never made me giddy and speechless._ She sighed, suddenly and vividly aware that she was fighting a losing battle against her own emotions. She blushed a bit before adding, "and he is kind of cute…"

"Wait wait, this is all normal, he's a hero figure here! I'm just getting attached to his reputation and all his talent!" she slapped a fist into an open palm as though she'd found the solution to her troubles. _But that isn't true. You didn't know about any of that until later. You don't care about it either. The first time you saw him all you thought was that he was an idiot who was willing to throw his life down to stop Sasuke. _She put her hands to her head, hoping to drown out the unmistakable truth in her mind. _He's a hero, sure, but he's a great person too. In fact, he hasn't let any of that get to his head. He's as determined and courageous as he always has been._

"Yah…" she took off her glasses and started cleaning them on a cloth she pulled out of a pocket. "…and this isn't just some silly idolization. This isn't some crush on the first remotely handsome, and relatively sane… at the time… hottie that gets brought into the lab. Here I'm free to make my own choices, and surrounded by good people. This isn't anything like Sasuke… or anyone else for that matter…" she put her glasses back on and turned around to go outside. She sighed a bit, more amused at herself for what she couldn't deny as the truth any longer: "I'm in love with that blonde idiot." she said and closed the door behind her as she left.

]][[

The two of them sat on the benches in one of the many parks damaged and shattered by Pain but slowly growing back. Sakura sat quietly on a bench opposite Tsunade, the two facing each other across the walkway. Tsunade's face was one of concern and worry, while Sakura had an expression of disinterest but kept it 'polite' as though a matter of business. The two hadn't spoken in nearly five minutes, and aside from their unbroken stares at each other, no one would know they were there together; Sakura having been summoned by an assistant to come and speak with the Hokage.

"Sakura…" Tsunade attempted to start conversation again.

"I don't need to hear it, I know what you're trying to say, but it's not the case." she replied curtly.

"I'm only trying to help…"

"That's the problem! Everyone is trying to help resolve some issue I don't even have!" she shouted, angrily gesturing as she did. "I don't need any guidance about how I feel, I need to get stronger to stop Sasuke!"

Tsunade shook her head slowly. "What Sasuke did and continues to do is not your fault Sakura. Naruto too. You can't hold yourself accountable for everything bad that happens with the people you care about. We all have our own problems to deal with, don't go borrowing troubles you can't solve from others!" She took a deep breath to calm herself of the frustration she was feeling at how disinterested Sakura looked.

"Look, Sakura, you are strong enough. No one can argue it. We've all seen your determination and spirit." she saw the impatience on Sakura's face and continued more vehemently. "Stop that, really listen! You are strong, you just can't expect to be strong enough to beat him and you're not an underhanded person who would be good at sneaking a kunai between his ribs. You're a good person, that kind of murder isn't your style. You've only had difficulty because the circumstances have been completely wrong."

"The circumstances are my power not being enough!" the girl yelled in reply.

"No! It's because you don't put any trust in your allies and don't put any value in yourself! Stop trying to do it all on your own, you've got to forgive yourself all of this. That you couldn't do it alone doesn't mean you're a bad person or need to improve. Let others help you do the things you can't do by yourself. Even Naruto lets others help him. More than any of that…" Tsunade paused, catching her breath in surprise at how vehemently she was attempting to argue this point, "…you've got to let Sasuke go."

Sakura looked as though she'd been slapped, the indignity causing her to angrily clench her fists. "…let him go?" she measured out her words with careful precision, only keeping herself from yelling at Tsunade through intense effort. "How could you tell me to do that? How can you encourage Naruto so much and then ignore me like that?"

Tsunade started to try and correct her, but Sakura yelled out before she could be told anything else. "I'll get stronger! I just don't know how yet! Maybe instead of trying to tell me to give up you should try and help me!"

A long silence followed, neither one saying anything as Sakura began to feel a bit of guilt while Tsunade searched her own feelings. _Damn it all if I don't know where she's coming from. How long did I rage about losing Orochimaru to darkness and madness? _She sighed loudly and stood up, removing her light jacket.

"Alright Sakura." she began, seeing her face brighten at what looked like the Hokage getting serious. "You've got too much aggression in you, I'm out of practice, and neither of these are good for either of us. C'mon, we're going to go a few rounds. Maybe I can beat some sense into you, or maybe, just maybe, you'll beat me and realize that even with that kind of strength, you still can't do it all alone."

Sakura pulled on a familiar pair of gloves, enjoying the feel of them stretching tautly. She found it comforting and reassuring in a way, as though it reaffirmed her strength. She fell into a readied stance, her hands coming up in front of her and clenching into fists. "Don't hold back." she demanded.

Tsunade readied herself, gathering her chakra around her and into her fists. "I don't intend to." and flung herself at Sakura, true to her word, with enough force to shatter a mountain. The pink-haired girl ducked to the side, slapping the side of Tsunade's arm with a chakra-infused hand to stagger her sideways before lunging in with a blow to the side. Tsunade caught the fist with her other hand, their chakras cancelling each other out so only the basic impacts of fist on palm were felt by either.

The two leapt away from each other, recovering their balance before Sakura went on the offensive. Tsunade deftly dodged or cancelled the blows, passing up a few openings to strike her back. _She's so ferocious, she's giving up opportunities and attacking when she should be more careful. She's too obsessed with winning and being hostile._ Tsunade saw an opening that was glaringly wide and took it, landing a blow that sent Sakura hurtling backwards.

Surprisingly, she landed on her feet after tumbling with the momentum. She coughed once and wiped it away, checking to see if there was any blood and smiling when there wasn't. "I told you not to hold back!" she yelled and lunged in to attack once more.

_She's faster now! _Tsunade thought, surprised that the blow would only spur her on and having to react more quickly to stop her hits. _I wonder…_ she waited for a good opening and again delivered a blow, Sakura smashing into a pile of supplies from the impact. She sprung to her feet, and this time when she wiped her mouth she saw the smear of red on her glove. Tsunade hesitated, wondering if she had gone too far at the way Sakura trembled a bit.

"Yeah… that's it…" she muttered to herself more than anyone else, and she started to run towards Tsunade. Dashing erratically only to jump at the last moment, pouring energy into her fist and delivering a diving punch. "Take this!" she shouted, clearly enjoying the fight.

_Shit!_ Tsunade was forced to lunge to the side, dodging desperately out of the way of the blow that cracked and broke the ground under its impact. _That would've killed me if it had hit. She's serious about this… but is she getting stronger because she's being hurt or is she giving in to her inner darkness too? Either way, we can't keep this going too much longer!_ Tsunade resolved herself to the fight just in time to dodge a flurry of attacks from Sakura. She swerved out of the way where she could, attempting to cancel out the ones she couldn't dodge. She felt her skin break a little bit, the impacts not entirely being mitigated. _She's putting way too much into this, this has to end now!_

Tsunade made to catch a blow but instead let it slide past her hand, she saw the surprise on Sakura's face and took advantage of that moment of vulnerability. She grabbed Sakura's arm as it passed her and twisted into a spin, throwing Sakura past her. _I've got to be sure_. She thought, unfortunate as it was, that if she tried to 'throw the match' Sakura may well wind up trying to kill her or at least severely wounding her. She moved in a flash, suddenly in front of an upside-down Sakura as she flew through the air. Tsunade delivered three quick punches and a kick that slammed Sakura out of her fall and into the ground. The pink-haired girl coughed up a mouthful of blood and Tsunade felt a horrible pang of guilt, but knew she didn't have a choice.

"There!" Tsunade said, wiping the sweat from her brow with her forearm. "Now, hold still, I'll heal you up." She said, concentrating slightly to fix the damage she'd sustained first. Sakura made no reply, staring up at the clouds, practically staring through them. When Tsunade started to lean down to help her up, talking as she went to try and keep things calm. "Look, if you bottle all of it up, you get sloppy like that. You can't just keep it all caged inside and let it out at anything you don't like. Quit repressing it all, I mean, you care for Naruto right? You really like him," she said as she began to heal her, "but you don't let him think it was anything but a Sasuke-related ruse. Stop cheating yourself out of anything you want by obsessing over Sasuke!"

She realized she'd gone too far moments after she said it, but it was too late. Sakura slapped her hands away roughly. "You just wanted to prove how weak I am!" she nearly cried, "you didn't want to help at all, you just wanted to remind me I can't do anything!" Tsunade started to object but Sakura dragged herself to her feet, shoving away from the older woman, and ran away, not waiting to hear anything else Tsunade called after her with.

Tsunade sighed. "Oh Sakura…" she felt awful, not sure how to help, or if she even could. Sakura was so deep into her own problems she refused to let anyone else bring her out of it. _I'm going to need to have you watched… for your own good. Ironic… you wanted Karin observed for security risks, but now I've got to set people to watch you to keep you safe… from yourself if necessary._

]][[

Naruto walked confidently through the streets, drawing a few glances at the 'hero' but most people were too busy repairing the town and trying to return it to a familiar level of normalcy. He was headed towards the Hyuga manor, having finally resolved his issues and decided how he was going to handle things. _I just hope they go how I've envisioned them, I'm not sure how I'll deal with a curveball in this._ He started to feel a bit doubtful and hesitant, but shook it off quickly. _Why is the number one unpredictable ninja trying to become predictable! No wonder everyone told me to get this all sorted out. I'm already starting to not act like myself!_

He kept walking, his mind continuing to cook up different doubts as he determinedly quashed them. He was feeling the jitters of confronting not one, but three separate girls; each of whom he had different kinds of feelings for and each one was one he liked. At one point when he was even beginning to feel the pressure too greatly he had groaned, "Can't I just fight a few more Akatsuki members instead?" He was convinced that a drawn out battle against a monster would be simultaneously easier and less painful.

In mid-complaint, he felt a sudden pang of chakra nearby. "Sakura? Granny-Tsunade?" was jerked out of him before he could stop himself, immediately concerned for both. _That was both of their chakra's… but I can't tell who they're fighting… _his stomach turned with a bitter possibility that drifted through his thoughts. _They're… fighting each other? But this feels too strong for that, even in training this is too much._ He couldn't feel anything past that initial pang and that worried him all the more. "Sorry… Hinata… wait for just a bit longer. I need to do this first." he said aloud, reaffirming it to himself as he closed his eyes and slowly stilling his movements.

Moments later, his eyes flashed open with his sage-mode fully activated. He glanced around, even though the chakra was all but gone, his suddenly enhanced abilities let him hone in on it. With the location fixed in his mind, he suddenly relaxed, letting his nature chakra dissipate and sage mode fade away. "Ino is with her, I don't have to rush…" he didn't confess that he also didn't want her to see him in sage mode… given the last thing he'd put it to use for around her.

]][[

The silence of the room was oppressive. The black-haired girl sat in a posture of meditative relaxation, but her features seemed to be straining under intense concentration. Veins throbbed around her eyes as she activated the technique that was the signature skill of her family. Even with her eyes closed now, she could 'see' entirely around her for a truly large distance. She used where she was in the Hyuga's enormous estate as a measuring point for herself; if she was near the center, by testing how far she could 'see' she could measure the range of her Byakugan ability.

_I can't let another incident like that happen. Not just for him, but for the pride of the Hyuga family… _she wasn't used to thinking that way, _but a near-death experience…_ _Or did I really die?_ she had never been quite sure about it. _Still, it has a weird way of giving you more insight, you see what's really important to you._ She mused idly, remembering that Naruto had not yet even responded to her confession. _He probably doesn't feel the same way…_ she started, resolving herself to not get upset over it like she always did. _But that's okay… I just wanted to tell him how I feel…_ unfortunately her efforts were not entirely successful and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"You know, when you cry while using Byakugan, it can get extremely uncomfortable and weaken the effectiveness of the technique." A young girl's stern voice interrupted her internal monologue that had in-turn interrupted her training.

"Hanabi…" she began slowly, in a calm and friendly voice tinged with frustration.

"I challenge you! I have exceeded your abilities and will become the pride of this noble family. I will surpass even Neji's talent!" she declared, readying herself in the Gentle-Fist posture in front of her older sister as she yelled her challenge.

Hinata stared at Hanabi for a long moment, nearly a whole minute before she put a hand to her mouth and started to giggle when she saw the corners of Hanabi's mouth twitching upwards into a smile.

"Damn! I thought I had you!" Hanabi cursed, already out of her stance and now laughing as well.

Hinata managed to stifle her giggles long enough to respond, "you were so serious! You'd have actually got me, but…" Hinata pointed to her eyes with one finger, "I could see how hard you were straining not to smile."

Hanabi flopped down on the floor, landing unceremoniously on a cushion "No faaair! The one time I'm gonna pull it off and you just have to be using your Byakugan already! I'm serious 'bout the eye thing though, if you keep that up while crying they itch like crazy and it doesn't go away for hours."

Hinata's stifled giggles came back in full force, Hanabi joining in because Hinata's giggle was too cute not to be contagious as well. It was a few minutes before either girl resumed talking. The two had long since come to a friendly understanding with one another. Given the nature of the clan, they both used to endure endlessly harsh regiments of training. Now, however, with Neji's status as an unmatched prodigy, the clan heads had grown far more lenient and no longer attempted to compete with him through Hinata or Hanabi to make them the strongest Hyuga. As a result, the idea of Hanabi and Hinata being in deathly feuds over who was the strongest, had become more of an inside joke to the two of them.

Slowly, Hinata rose to her feet and walked towards an open courtyard. Hanabi followed quietly; because, despite their feud becoming an inside joke, they still enjoyed sparring… it was a more fair fight than attempting to train with Neji. They stopped, facing each other and bowed gently.

"Best of three?" Hanabi smiled, slipping into the Gentle Fist posture. Hinata nodded, assuming her own. "Then let's begin on the usual cue…" she said and both concentrated as they closed their eyes, waiting for which one would act first.

An intolerable stillness and silence passed for a few moments until Hanabi lost patience and her eyes flicked open, fully activated with the Byakugan bloodline ability of their family. Hinata's own eyes slowly opened, her Byakugan activated in response to Hanabi's as she immediately began deflecting blows from her younger sister. Hanabi had the advantage, for the most part, of her youthful energy as well as her small frame allowing her to take advantage of openings Hinata couldn't, just like it reduced the size of target spots available to Hinata. Of course, Hinata had not only experience and reach, but something else that seemed to be rebuffing Hanabi each time thus far.

Usually the two were mostly even, Hanabi being able to launch a ferocious attack against Hinata's timid personality that would lend her the necessary advantage against her older sister. Today, however, Hinata was responding to it calmly and seemed utterly confident in her abilities. Two rounds later, Hanabi angrily shouted, "best out of five!" only to lose another round shortly afterwards.

"No fair! When did you get so strong? Did it happen during that invasion thing?" Hanabi whined, having never been told how close she'd come to being an only child, the family had forbid Hinata to share that detail until Hanabi was 'ready'.

"Hmmm," Hinata replied, thinking carefully, "you could say I did. More accurately, keep fighting. I'll explain as we spar, it'll make more sense then." Without hesitation, Hinata charged towards Hanabi, suddenly pressing the attack instead of being purely defensive and counterattacking. The younger girl was hard-pressed to keep herself in the fight at the sudden change in Hinata's familiar fighting style.

"It's not about being the strongest." Hinata began, speaking in a calm rhythmic tone that fit into her fighting style as though it were the music accompanying a dance. "Fighting without purpose only breeds hatred and without purpose you become lost in conflict." Hanabi attempted to listen carefully, but was forced to consider the words first with her subconscious rather than fully contemplate them or else she'd take another hit. Although they were sparring, a solid hit from the Gentle Fist style always hurt, no matter how much anyone held back while using it. Strangely, however, Hanabi realized that this was forcing her to hear and understand Hinata before she was allowed to reply or interrupt her. "Strength comes from goals." She continued, knocking Hanabi down with a powerful blow only to wait until the younger girl rose to her feet, unwilling to back down from the fight and knowing that if she were to give up now, her older sister would stop talking.

Hinata smiled warmly and proudly, confirming Hanabi's guess as the two resumed their sparring, its intensity growing greater with every moment as the younger girl poured everything she had into it. "Even a goal as simple as becoming 'superior' can lead to unimaginable strength. This was what drove Neji to be the greatest Hyuga." Hanabi knew that well enough, Neji was a terrifying opponent even in sparring matches, his talent was unrivaled in all the Hyuga clan. She dodged a blow and listened for more that she knew was coming.

"It's belief." Hinata threw a blow that Hanabi dodged, the sound of their expelled chakra creating shrieking noises as it was dodged or deflected, still her voice remained calm as she fought. "Having something to believe in will make you the strongest you can be." Hanabi realized suddenly that on this subject, Hinata was rapidly increasing her ability as though the speech was empowering her; and if this was Hinata's full potential, then she might actually be able to give even Neji a challenge. "Even Neji learned that courage and belief can conquer anything." and with a single blow sent Hanabi sliding backwards in a guarding posture at least seven feet.

The younger sister nodded slowly, seeing the power that currently radiated from Hinata. The calm but phenomenal strength even while she had a warm smile on her face. "I hope that makes sense to you." and bowed gently to her little sister as she let her Byakugan fade and her placid expression return.

Hanabi did the same and said, "You win, I can't measure up to that. You have the same expression Naruto had when he defeated Neji in the Chuunin exams." She saw Hinata blush a bit, but that was normal when anyone mentioned 'him'. "I remember thinking that it'd be impossible for Neji to lose that fight. Then I saw Naruto's face and just… well, I just knew. Even without the Byakugan I could see the absolute determination he had." Hanabi saw her sister nod, realizing that Hinata had seen that expression on Naruto more than she had.

"He's the person I want to be. That's my goal. I want to be able to protect everything dear to me. I want to be able to say I'm a ninja every bit the same way he is."

Hanabi smirked at Hinata's statement, deciding she'd had enough of 'serious Hinata' and wanting to get her blushing and flustered. More of a consolation prize for her having been so soundly defeated. "Do you like him?"

Usually this made Hinata red-faced and unable to do more than squeak a reply. Today, however, Hinata only made an embarrassed smile and replied, "Yes, I love him very much. He's important to me, even though I don't think he feels the same wa-" her sentence was cut off as Hanabi delivered a leaping kick that sent Hinata sprawling.

"Owww!" Hinata groaned, rubbing where she'd been kicked and staring with a confused look at her younger sister who was currently gritting her teeth angrily.

"You get all confident and strong out of nowhere and then you just give it up before you even know? If he's everything you want to be, then why are you so quick to think he wouldn't want to be with you? Better yet, be like him and accept that things don't always go your way. I've heard about all the business with Sasuke, and Naruto was the one who let him get away! It eats him up, but he doesn't just write it off, isn't he _still_ trying to bring him back?" She paused to catch her breath, the first time she'd stopped since she began her angry rant. Hinata tried to speak but Hanabi cut her off, continuing to yell despite being the only two present.

"What would he say if you gave up so easily? He'd tell you to keep trying! Look at him, if he gets beaten, he just jumps back at it twice as hard! Look, just tell him you like him, if he doesn't feel the same way about you then who cares about him anyway? Don't fall apart and lose who you are because if he doesn't love you then he's an idiot and you deserve someone much better!" As she finished she stood, panting for breath, and red-faced at how hard she'd been yelling.

Hinata stared in shock, and slowly rose to her feet. "Heh…" she began with a bit of a giggle, covering her mouth, "Hanabi, you know, you may just be stronger than me in the long-run."

Hanabi shook her head rapidly, "No way. Nope. Not a chance. You're the one who stood up to Neji and to Pain." She saw Hinata's face turn pale, _Good luck keeping that my older sister pretty much died from me like some kind of secret!_ she thought with a fair bit of scorn, having beaten a few of the other members of the clan until they revealed what half of them were extremely inept at hiding. "You fought both of them knowing the kind of foe you were going up against. One without remorse for killing… you went to fight knowing you'd probably die. I don't have that kind of conviction." Hanabi started to sigh, having been unable to meet Hinata's surprised and horrified face and feeling a bit of guilt for having gone to the trouble of finding out before Hinata could tell her.

The sigh was completely interrupted by a sudden hug from her older sister. Hanabi hugged back somewhat timidly, it was an unusually fond gesture from her normally reserved and shy sister. Hinata whispered into her ear, "When you find the one for you, you'd be amazed at just how far you'll go just to see them smile in your direction."

]][[

He had arrived at the park, it was deathly still and Naruto wasn't quite sure why he found that so unsettling. _These places used to be so full of life, instead there's only a few tree saplings growing back, nothing to rustle in the wind. Wonder when it'll get back to the way it was._ He found that thought ironic: 'the way it was', was hardly something you could ever get back to. _What I'm about to do is proof of that beyond anything else_. He noted with a grim seriousness.

He saw, on one of the benches, the familiar figure and hair of Ino, sitting close to the bowed form of Sakura whose head was in her hands and shaking gently. Naruto sighed seeing that she was, or at least had been, crying. He took a deep breath and walked closer. As he got near, Ino looked up and saw him. He heard her say something to Sakura about coming back in a few minutes.

She walked towards Naruto, staring at him for a moment before her face lit up a bit. "She's not doing great," she whispered to him as she walked past him, "but it's good to see that look on your face. That's the 'hero' everyone is talking about and the Naruto I remember." She patted his shoulder once, as though she wanted to say more, but left without another word.

Naruto walked towards the bench Sakura was on, trying to start a conversation a few times between him and the girl who had not yet even looked up. Each time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Finally he managed, "So what happened?"

Sakura lifted her head and stared at him for a long moment. It was a hard stare, full of rage and despair, agony and helplessness. He found it hard to believe this was the same Sakura, he'd never seen her this genuinely conflicted and upset with no one but herself it seemed. She finally responded, "I'm weak and it is destroying everything I care about."

Naruto sat next to her and shook his head. "You're not weak, you just think you are supposed to do everything. You can't. Not even I can do everything alone. Without Chiyo I wouldn't have saved Gaara. Without Jiraiya I would have been taken by Akatsuki right after the Chuunin exam that Orochimaru attacked." He stared at her hard, "Stop trying to do things by yourself and you'll see. Sasuke did this too, he wanted to stop Itachi all by himself and look where it got him."

She hiccupped a few times, trying to control herself from sobbing more at the mention of 'him', and started to reply, "…but"

He shook his head firmly again. "Sakura, I won't tell you not to want him back. I do too. I know you still have feelings for him. The same kinds that you can't bring yourself to accept that you have about me too." He leaned back just a bit, staring upwards, he found it helped him keep himself collected… it was harder to cry at that angle too.

A strangled noise of protest escaped her as though she wanted to lash out angrily, but couldn't in the face of the certainty with which he'd said it.

Naruto continued on, "I care for you Sakura. I always have and there's nothing you can do that will stop me from always caring. You were my first crush-"

"Naruto, you-" she tried to interrupt, tears slowly spilling down her cheeks onto her lap where her hands were clenching and unclenching, but he spoke over her.

"Please, let me finish, if I don't, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to say it all." He sighed, _I can't let her talk, she'll start to respond to it and be hopeful, if she takes it the wrong way, it'll destroy her._ "Like I was saying, you were my first crush. I wanted nothing more than to call you my girlfriend… I can remember all the things I did and still never got noticed over Sasuke as anything more than a bother. I even impersonated him once just so you'd look at me that way; but I realized that wasn't ever really meant to be on the day you came to me and begged me to bring back Sasuke." He saw her shoulders start to shake, as though she was torn between being shocked, laughing, and outright sobbing.

"Despite all that, it was good in a way." A tear ran down his cheek unnoticed by either as he spoke. He saw her visibly tense at that and continued quickly before she could scream at him for it. "What I mean is, I realized what we all are. What you and Sasuke are to me. I didn't feel like my love was being spurned anymore. You two, and Kakashi even as well, you were my first family…" another tear fell quietly. He hadn't realized how difficult it would be without her interrupting him even. "Team Seven will always be that for me… and I'll protect it from anything, even myself if I have to."

Sakura stared at him, speechless at the way he was pouring his heart into what he was saying. She wanted to reply that she wanted more, _But what can I do? He's right… I've never given him any of the things he's deserved or would need to feel that way about me too._ She sobbed once slightly, trying to figure out what she could say; but he kept on before she could even begin to know where or how to reply.

"I love you like a sister, and I always think of it now as bringing our brother back to Konoha. I wish I could be more for you, be what you want me to be, but I'll always be there for you when you need me. I'm sorry, I can't be anything more than that though…" He made it clear he was finished by hugging her, tightly, even as she started to cry uncontrollably. She didn't even really hug him back, just sort of sagging into his arms and bawling all her pain. She kept trying to reply with things explaining how she was "torn between the two of you", "I don't want to keep loving him", "doesn't want to lose him", and more. Naruto kept holding her and apologizing, unable to do much more for her and angry at himself for it.

Several minutes passed, Sakura's crying subsided into slow sobs, her half-attempted explanations having faded away. Naruto remained silent, thinking better than to try and disturb her for the moment. A finger tapped his shoulder. "Hey, I think we should switch." Ino said, and Naruto nodded, slowly separating from Sakura and letting Ino take a position similar to the one he'd had of hugging her. Ino smiled over her shoulder at Naruto and whispered: "Thanks, I hope it'll help her move on, for now though, you should probably get going."

Naruto walked away, not looking back, straining from the effort of keeping himself facing forward. He didn't want to see Sakura crying anymore and knew he couldn't do anything else at the moment… and the few tears that ran down his face he didn't want seen by anyone. _I'm already upset enough that I can't be there for all of them in the way they want, and in some cases… need… from me, I have to be strong for them and for myself._

]][[

Naruto silently plodded towards the Hyuga and his next unwanted, but necessary, encounter. He wasn't in a hurry to do what, again, he had to; but he did feel more confident about it. _Maybe this is what it feels like to be a Hokage… having to know that people will be hurt because of your decisions. Having to tell them to do things you know will cause suffering. It isn't all glory and looking cool; there are bitter elements in everything, no matter how badly you try to ignore them._ Despite his thoughts being somber, Naruto actually smiled. He felt he had matured quite a bit and the understanding he'd gained was something that he felt would only make him a better Hokage in the end.

He arrived at the Hyuga manor while sorting out his thoughts and considering his options. Surprise and a flash of doubt took the smile from Naruto's face _How have I already walked so far?_ he thought, not entirely sure he was ready for it. His hesitation had him looking uncertain and unconfident, but he forced a friendly expression back to his face. _No, I didn't come this far and resolve myself to this only to ignore her again. I've done that for long enough, it's gotta stop here and now._ Naruto nodded once, more to himself than anyone else, and knocked on the large doors before him.

After a few minutes, the door to the open sections of the compound surrounding the large main building creaked open slowly. Naruto turned to face the opening and saw the familiar features of Hinata. He opened his mouth to say 'hi' only for her to let out a choked noise that was part gasp part squeal before the door slammed closed again. _Ah. Guess everyone was right on that one… Hinata used up just about everything she had to actually even say what she did to me. Although… it's funny, this same shy angel is the one who stood up to Nagato…_

He was about to knock again when the door opened again. "Uhm-m-m… H-h-hi Naruto…" She barely managed to whisper. "What can I, I mean, why are you… uhhhh… I mean, do you want to come in?" Her face was a light shade of pink that Naruto found endearing and adorable, the sight of which only further heightened his sense of anxiety about it all. He nodded and she showed him in, leading him to a spot in the courtyard near a small well-kept fountain pond.

Naruto stared around, having never been inside such a luxurious place, even its courtyard far exceeding what Naruto usually experienced in regards to living conditions. He shook his head gently in surprise and disbelief: _Again, I'm somewhere I always wanted to be and when I'm finally there I wish I wasn't._ "Good," he said aloud, "I had wanted to speak to you alone."

Immediately Naruto realized he could have worded that a bit better when he saw Hinata's face go from pink to a deeper shade of red. "No! Not like that," he began, but corrected himself, "well, kind of like that, only-" he paused, again realizing his bumbling through this had her near-fainting. She had her hands on her face, looking at him between her fingers as she tried to both simultaneously hide her face and pay attention to him. "Aaahhh… how do I say it… I need to talk about 'us'." he finally managed.

The hands slipped from her face and the blush faded. She stared off into the distance, not really seeing anything but not meeting his eyes. Naruto hung his head almost shameful for what he had to do next because he could tell that she realized why he'd come and that she no longer seemed optimistic about it. He hated that he had to prove her right. He started to explain himself, as best he could, to her.

"Hinata… I won't even lie… I want to love you. You deserve every bit of it and more, and in a way, I do, but…" he sighed loudly, trying to stall to word his statement better. "I honestly, and I know this sounds horrible… I hadn't really thought about things that way until you said them."

Hinata turned, and quietly asked, "But… I barely saw your reaction to what happened to me… but I saw it. How could-"

Naruto knew the question was coming and answered before she could struggle to word it properly. "Hinata, you're the first person to ever tell me that they love me. You're also my friend. I'd say one of my best, in fact." Naruto saw her smile at the memories, and kept at it. "The truth is, I admire you. You do everything I do even without having this," he put a hand over his stomach, right on the seal, "inside you to let you cheat and succeed at it. You've faced down situations without having such a powerful thing helping you cheat and survive them."

Her eyes widened a bit, shocked at his confession of admiring her instead, unsure how to reply to it at all or where it came from. "Think about it…" he said quietly, looking away from her. "It's kind of why I fought so hard for your cause against Neji. You should've beaten him, and if it wasn't for this monster in me, I wouldn't have been able to stop him." He shook his head violently. "I know I inspire you, and I don't want that to change. I didn't want to tell you that a lot of my ability to do what impresses you so much, isn't entirely my own."

"No-" she began, attempting to cut him off, but he spoke over her.

"I want to keep you safe, and I don't want you to lose the role-model I've been to you-" He said, but this time Hinata's voice found strength and cut him off instead.

"No! That's not it! It wouldn't change anything if we were together… and I want to tell you right now, you're wrong. My eyes are every bit as good as Neji's and I'll tell you what they see. They see the energy of that monster, but the heart of a good man. You might think it's only because of the Nine-Tails that you could defeat Neji, or Pain, or any of them… but you're wrong. It is because of you that you could defeat them. Because you never give up even when everyone else says you should."

Naruto stared in awe at her, she'd gotten outright angry at how he'd downplayed himself and that was unusual for her. "But in the end, the most important thing to me, is keeping you safe. All the times you do things either emulating me or making me notice you get you badly hurt. It's…" Naruto felt his eyes tearing up, he cursed under his breath, not wanting to show how much it really got to him. "It's not easy to bear that kind of responsibility."

Hinata giggled a bit, catching Naruto off guard entirely, she saw his reaction and replied quickly, "You're so silly sometimes… you think I'll stop being like you just because you're not interested in me in 'that' way? Besides… it's funny to hear the man who wants to be Hokage talking about having trouble with responsibility."

Naruto stared blankly for a moment and then reached up to scratch behind his head in an embarrassed 'you caught me' kind of gesture. "Well, I didn't say I couldn't bear it, but I put you in harms way too much and I don't want that. I don't want my best friends getting hurt so much entirely over me!" He saw her crestfallen face, realizing how he'd mostly shot down her efforts to persuade him out of his decision. "Hinata, I'm not trying to hurt you, I just wan-"

"Okay." she cut him off unexpectedly.

Naruto blinked in surprise a few times and opened his mouth to reply but she held up a hand to stop him, putting it over his mouth gently. "It's okay. I'll let you go. I can see it won't work out, not right now at least, anyways…" she sighed softly, no noise coming from her but the gesture obvious. She took another deep breath and held it before letting it out. "But there's a condition." she finally added.

Naruto nodded, still dumbstruck and unable to reply.

"The condition… is… uhm…" she started to blush, her two fingertips coming together and pushing against one another. "It is… ah…" her face turned further red, her lips trembling, "to umm…" she stammered, barely able to form words at this point she was so nervous. Finally she just closed her eyes and almost-shouted "Iwantonekiss! likeyoumeanit!" she blurted out, so fast that Naruto wasn't entirely sure what she'd said.

He stared blankly at her for a few more moments, wondering just what it was she said before it finally clicked. He paused for a few minutes, wondering just how much effort it had taken her to get that out. She was still nervously playing with her fingers while he tried to overcome the shock of such a request coming from Hinata of all people. He finally found the words to reply to her: "Are you sure? I mean… wouldn't that make it… worse?"

She shook her head slowly and whispered, as though afraid to speak louder again, "No, I want to know what it's like or I won't be able to move on. I'll spend every moment forever wondering and I can't live with that kind of thing always hanging over me. You should understand what I mean, right? I promise if you do this, I'll move on." Her earlier talk with Hanabi was actually giving her the strength to keep at this. The conversation had helped her get over the 'end-of-the-world' mentality that would normally have accompanied this kind of thing in her mind. She smiled at him knowingly, and he realized despite his doubts, this wasn't something he could try and convince her out of. He saw the honest sincerity that she had - arguing with her would be pointless and cruel.

"Okay, for you, I'll do it." He said, already regretting it but feeling like his choice in the matter was already made for him. _If it helps her get over me, I can't deny her that. It'd be too cruel. Besides, I owe her this much at least. I mean, she really is the first one to actually say that and actually mean it._ He shook his head, _What the hell am I talking about like this is some kind of money transaction? She wants me to kiss her! Can I do that? Can I really do that? Of course I can, but should I?_ Naruto's mind raced through possibilities and meanings, he'd agreed to something very serious without really considering it. Now, belatedly, he was considering it and realizing she may be more at peace with this than he was.

What really drove that point home was the way she turned towards him with her eyes closed and trembling with nervousness. _No going back now. You gave your word!_ His mind rallied itself to what he saw and realized that he had to do. He leaned towards her, and then gave up trying to go for that impossible angle and turned to outright embrace her. Her eyes shot open in surprise even as he closed his own eyes, holding her tight as he pressed his lips to hers. It was soft, Naruto couldn't believe how soft her lips were, their warmth was overpowering and the smell of her was intoxicating as he held the kiss longer still. He felt her hands wrap around him gently, holding him lightly even as he powerfully gripped her. The kiss dragged on and on, Naruto uncertain of when to stop or if he wanted it to stop while Hinata never wanted it to end. After the unbelievably long kiss, which had only lasted a few moments in reality, the two separated slowly. Naruto released her from his embrace and she shrank back a bit, a tear slowly sliding down her face. She appeared diminished and relieved at the same time, almost drawing strength from the act itself it looked like.

She wiped it away with a sudden flick of her hand, hoping he hadn't noticed it. Neither one spoke for several minutes before Naruto finally broke the silence just as Hinata tried to. "I hope that helps yo-" he began.

"Thank you, that's what I-" she said at the same time. Both stared at each other for a moment and then laughed a bit. They each had a flushed face, though Hinata's was far a deeper blush than Naruto's.

"You'll be okay, right?" He stood up, almost as though it would help him shake off the sudden sensations burning in his body and maybe distract himself from them. He bobbed a little bit in place, nervously, _Is this how it always felt being around her? This is kinda unusual, I've never been so comfortable but nervous at the same time._

She stood up and faced him, and he saw an expression he hadn't seen on her since the incident with Nagato. "I gave my word that I'd be fine, and I will be." She held out her fist, a gesture so unmistakable that Naruto was forced to respond to it the same way. It was, after all, his gesture. The very same he'd taken towards Neji and the very same posture he took whenever a situation evoked his utter conviction. He suddenly realized what to say, and she nodded once, as though reading his mind.

Together, the two of them shouted aloud: "**We** will never give up, **we **will never run away, **we **will never go back on our word! That is **our** Nindo! **Our** Ninja Way!"

]][[

Nearly an hour later, Naruto walked the streets of Konoha feeling a storm of emotions like he had when he resolved himself earlier that day; now, however, he was at the eye of the storm. It hurt, what he'd had to do with Hinata and Sakura, but his encounter with Hinata had reaffirmed his decisions. He still worried about Sakura, but Hinata he knew would be okay. He felt calm, relaxed, and altogether confident in himself. "Thank you, Hinata." He again muttered aloud, having already done so several times since had left her home. He resolved himself to help her however he could and whenever she needed it. _If anyone has earned and deserves all the happiness they can get, it's her. Konoha's bravest and shyest angel_.

Naruto kept walking, he was looking for the last one. The only one he had good news for… and hopefully had good news for him. He was nervous about that particular bit, extremely anxious to hear how she would reply. _I did the right thing though, by telling the others first. I won't just play both sides, waiting to get turned down before I turn down others._ He nodded his head, a small "mmm." of agreement with his own thoughts coming from him. As he walked, he realized one all important fault in his plan - _I don't know where to find her…_

Without letting that deter him, he kept walking onwards slowly, hoping to run into Iruka or her before too long had passed. After nearly another hour, the sun was setting and Naruto was starting to grow despondent. The confidence he'd gained from his talk with Hinata had faded and even the anxiousness of the last talk he knew he had to have was dwindling away. He stared up at the Hokage monuments, considering again if this kind of scenario was a usual thing for them. _This is what it must feel like, sending teams out to do missions that may get them hurt. You worry, you wait, you worry and wait more, does it all wear them down? Is that how they are able to stomach it so impassively? Did the Third or my Father, the Fourth, have to endure this kind of thing? _Naruto kept musing, wondering on it again as an interest for his future. Despite the fact that he constantly and brazenly paraded his desire to be the next Hokage, Naruto knew better to think of it only as a simple thing of being 'the best'.

_It has a lot of difficulty to it, a lot of different angles. Seeing friends and allies hurt… sending them to get hurt even! Forcing myself to hurt Sakura and Hinata for the good of everyone involved really did open my eyes on this one. You guys,_ he thought, looking at the monuments again,_ didn't have it easy, did you? I wonder if the Uchiha clan endured one too many forced hurtings…_ Naruto reflected on the 'past' that the masked man had told him. He again wondered how much of it was true, how much of it was a lie. He'd researched into it a bit, but unsurprisingly the documents were sealed and what he could get to was cryptic beyond measure. _Something to ask Shikamaru about, if anyone could figure it out, it'd be him_. Naruto grinned, he knew his friend well enough to know they wouldn't turn down a simple enough request… after a little effort and motivation of course. Shikamaru was, after all, notoriously lazy when unmotivated.

Naruto decided that he might have to wait until tomorrow to actually speak to the final girl, turning to head back to his room, when a glint caught his eye. "Huh?" He turned sluggishly, his energy for the day mostly spent on emotions and introspective thoughts. He stared up and realized he'd been looking at a person sitting on the monuments. He'd only thought it was a blemish of some kind in the stone. Naruto was surprised, he thought he was the only one who ever went up there. _Well, better at least see who it is… _he mused, having nothing better to do at the moment and wondering if he'd have a better chance to see her unmistakable hair color from higher up.

]][[

She sat hugging her knees, folded up on herself gently and cursing her own hesitation. After a long internal struggle, Karin had resorted to using her sensory technique to locate Naruto, but had dismissed it quickly because she didn't want to appear desperate. _Not that anyone can tell I'd be using the technique! And not that I'm desperate! Gah! What is wrong with me?_ She mentally berated herself for dropping her sensory abilities too soon more than anything else. She'd realized, almost without surprise, that Naruto was the one atop the monuments; but when she arrived, he'd left. She didn't know how long he'd been gone from up there because she had dragged her feet as she went. She was reluctant to start up that particular confrontation.

Unfortunately, rather than finding relief in his absence, she'd only grown more and more flustered. At first she'd thought to use the time to rationalize things, to collect her thoughts. Her goal was to come to a dignified and reasonable dismissal of these powerful feelings she was having. It had not had the desired results; instead of rationalizing away the feelings, they'd only grown embarrassingly stronger. Eventually she'd even thrashed about in an extremely embarrassing fashion, glad there was no one around to have seen her far-from-elegant display of frustration and confusion.

The only conclusion she came to, in the end, was to sit there. She figured the place was comforting to her, and she needed that at the moment. _It's a great view… even when this place is damaged it is a sight to behold. I like it here. Warmth. That's the real big thing. I forgot what it really felt like… superiority, rank, power, all of those things don't have much merit without warmth and happiness. _She sat quietly, her arms now resting on her knees instead of hugging them for reassurance. Her chin was lightly balanced atop her arms. Despite her inner thoughts raging wildly around a dozen and a half different concepts, her outward appearance conveyed a calm peacefulness.

]][[

Approaching from behind, Naruto was shocked when he realized who it was atop the stone faces of the previous Hokages. The red hair was unmistakable and Naruto couldn't help but grin, _Is she that much like me that she comes up here when she needs to think too?_ He doubted it, but the thought made him smile anyway. He wasn't sure what to say yet, so he quietly walked towards her without alerting her to his presence. _Odd, a sensor-type can be so wrapped-up in her thoughts that she misses such an unhidden presence as mine… _

No sooner had he thought this, of course, than she startled and turned towards him, an angry expression no her face as though she were about to scream at whoever was bothering her solitude. A moment later, the expression had vanished to be replaced by a blush that tried to match her hair. She opened her mouth to say something… and paused, closing it again. Again she tried and again she closed her mouth without saying anything. After an awkward silence of what felt like hours but was more likely only a minute, she managed a: "…hey."

Naruto smiled _Was she always this cute? She's acting almost like Hinata…_ Naruto's smile vanished and he realized now was the worst possible time to be thinking about other female friends. He expelled those thoughts from his mind and realized he hadn't responded to her yet, so he quickly blurted out: "Hi."

She smiled at his stumbling reply, and quickly shook her head, _Oh my god, why is even a 'hi' making me smile? _she thought, uncomfortable with her sudden display of uncontrollable vulnerability. _Maybe because you knew he'd come back up here and you'd wait forever for that?_ Her conscience chided at her and her internal argument kept going for a little while. Even while she slowly lost the battle about how happy she was he'd "come to her" and not the other way around in end, she tried her best to carry on conversation. "How're you holding up?" she asked while her mind raged at her emotions.

"I'm okay, it's been a long day, I'm just glad to see you." he sounded as confident and self-assured as she'd seen him since he spoke to Sasuke.

She was embarrassed at just how appealing that confidence was to her. "Why was it a long day?" she replied, stalling for time.

Naruto sighed and took a deep breath to explain himself, readying himself for how bad he felt this was going to sound. "I was clearing things up with people. Explaining to them where they stand with me and where I stand with them. I couldn't bring myself to let things go in any direction more than they already had." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply again, obviously rallying himself against a lot of emotional memories that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Hm?" She was a bit confused, but didn't want to show it, "What do you mean? Why?"

"Because I know what direction I want things to go in-" he said as he stepped towards her.

Overwhelmed by the confidence and his step toward her, she lost her internal mental battle and interrupted him. "Naruto… I… I…" he watched her with a sudden intense interest, she closed her eyes and scrunched up her face with the effort it took to say it, but managed to whisper: "I like you."

Naruto's eyes widened and his expression went to one of shock, he hadn't expected it to be mutual or even guessed she'd want to say it first. When she opened her eyes, he was still in a state of awe that turned her face a shade of pink. She struggled on through it, not content to leave it at just those three words. "I really mean it, at first I thought it was this hero-crush thing, or maybe because you saved me even! But then I thought about you more and more, I couldn't get you out of my head, and then you saved me from Sakura… you keep saving me. I look at you and I see everything good in a person and I kept comparing you to Sasuke, and I didn't want to, but it just happened. You two are so much alike but you're such opposites at the same time! I had a crush on him, he was handsome and sexy, but this is different I don't just feel like that around you! Wait! No no, I mean, you're handsome and sexy too, but-Ah! I just meant that you've got more going for you than just looks, and well, I like you, I really do, I'm always thinking about you and I was so happy that I had an excuse and a reason to spend more time with you because of that training thing and I don't want it to end after that!" She had worked herself into practically crying, her sniffles punctuating parts of her rant trying to explain herself and somewhat 'justify' her position to him.

"I like you too." He replied, a smile full of happiness and compassion on his face as he said it.

She kept on her ranting having not heard him or registered his words in her mind yet, tears welling up in her eyes as she did. "I understand if you don't like me. You only met me what, a month ago? Not even! I know it's sudden, you probably don't even care and that's okay, I don't even know why I feel this way so suddenly either. It's just… it's just… wait…" she stared at him, her mouth agape. "You… you do too?"

He closed the distance on her even more, her face going as red as her hair as he wrapped his arms gently around her. "Yeah, I do. You accepted me when we first met and that didn't change at all when you found out about my 'secret'. You keep helping me, when you're around, my head is clear, I know what I want. I want the beautiful red-haired Karin that I see before me." He moved in closer to kiss her. Tightening his embrace until their bodies touched, the warmth of them palpable in what little space remained between the two of them.

Karin was panicked at the mix of emotions at play in her. There were still tears running down her face but now she was sure they weren't from being upset anymore. Now she was nervous and overwhelmed, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him to stop, instead she blurted out: "This is my first kiss!" managing to yelp it as he got closer still. As much as it embarrassed her, she had hoped it would avert what she saw coming, or maybe it would at least lower any overpowering expectations he had of her. _And why do I want that? Shouldn't I aim to impress him instead? I should-_

A second later, it didn't matter. Naruto pressed forward, heedless of her outburst, and pressed his lips to hers. The softness of her lips was a wonderful sensation and he breathed in her scent when he remembered to breathe, only furthering his intoxication in her. He didn't break the kiss even for a moment, he only continued to move his lips against hers, pressing one kiss after another on her. Naruto's mind was blank, everything other than the sweet smell of her, the warmth of her body against his, and what felt most important to him: he could hear and feel her heart beating rapidly against his own.

That same second later, Karin was struggling in his embrace for a reason she didn't even understand. Struggling wasn't even really the appropriate description for it, she more accurately squirmed in his grasp; finding it difficult to outright surrender to the sensations. She wasn't sure how to react, it was so sudden that she clenched and unclenched her hands at her side. After only a moment of kissing him, however, she felt any apprehensions vanish without a trace. Her arms came up around him, lighter than his embrace, but still tight and now clenching a handful of his jacket in each fist. She lost herself in the kiss, taking in every detail with an acuity that put her sensory techniques to shame. She felt a strange tingling in her entire body, as though a small electrical current ran through it. She couldn't focus on just one aspect of him that she liked, she was completely immersed in it and enjoying every bit beyond any comprehension or guesses she'd had moments before. He felt safe, he felt warm, moreover, it was the happiest she'd been since… since… she couldn't remember ever feeling this much delight at a previous moment of her life.

The kiss went on and on, smaller extra kisses being pressed into it that Karin didn't even consider to be 'separate' at all. This was all one new sensation to her and she was surprised in the urgency with which she threw herself into it as well. She'd never known anything like it, whenever his lips withdrew from hers, she pressed in against him tighter. Kiss after kiss the two shared; tentative at times and aggressive at others.

After several minutes, the close embrace broke, Karin's face flushed completely and her lips trembling while Naruto's expression one of dizzy giddiness. There was a long silence between the two before they thought to break their embrace. Instinctively, Karin threw out her hand and caught Naruto's as he let her go. Her expression making it abundantly clear that 'holding hands' was not optional at the moment.

_Oh my god, was that…? It felt like… I think it was…_ Karin struggled inside herself to make sense of everything that had just transpired, her free hand touching her trembling lips. _Will they stop trembling after that? I don't feel like they'll be still without his against them anymore! _She stood, awestruck while Naruto simply stared at her with a tender smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes she hadn't noticed before. _Why's he looking at me like that! It's only making me feel more strange and embarrassed! I should-! _and then she felt a great relief from it all. A sudden an enthusiastic lack of concern for trying to figure it out. She could do that later, for now, the warmth in her hand and the smile on his face were all that mattered.

"Karin…" he whispered to her.

"Y-yes?" she replied equally quietly, not sure why she was whispering but feeling it was appropriate; as though something desperately secret had just happened. _But why does the idea of it being a secret make me feel less happy about it?_

"You look beautiful when you smile, really truly smile." He said it in a small voice, as though it were meant for her ears alone.

The comment made her avert her eyes, embarrassed but still grinning like an idiot about the whole thing. "H-hey…" She tried to stammer out a question but only got that far.

"Yeah?" He had moved closer again, he was holding her in his embrace again and both of them seemed extremely content as she slowly nuzzled against his chest, leaning into him.

_When did I get so dizzy?_ she mused, but managed to speak up, louder this time because, in her current state she thought she had to speak over his heartbeat _and my own!_ for him to hear her. "Can I try my technique? I'm… I'm curious. I want to know what this looks like and feels like with our chakra."

Naruto giggled a bit, earning a very stern disapproving look from her as she pulled back slightly before he clarified: "Sensing our chakras? It isn't even our first date!" He chided as he laughed.

Karin, for all her desire to be angry for his terrible pun, was won over by his contagious laughter and only lightly socked him in the chest to get him to stop. "I'm being serious…" she protested lightly, as she returned to her previous position in the close hug, unwilling to give it up over a bad joke.

"I'm sorry, go ahead."

Her eyes had already closed just to focus on her other senses so close to him, so she had only to release her technique again instead of focusing . _Oh my god! _she clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her gasp.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the concern and worry evident in his voice.

She stopped her technique a moment later and disentangled herself from his embrace. "Ah…" she tried to begin, scratching the back of her head in an absentminded gesture she'd unknowingly picked up from him. "…your chakra is kinda…" she weakly began, but saw the completely confused look on his face. "Naruto, has your chakra ever flared up before?"

"Umm, a couple of times?" he replied, adopting a posture similar to hers.

"Well, let's uh… let's say normally you're like a candle's flame." she started, holding up her fingers to give a clear size estimate.

"Okay…" he replied, not entirely following her.

"Right now, you're more like the sun." and she pointed to the nearly-faded sunset. He tilted his head, slowly taking in what she'd said before his eyes widened.

"Does that mean my inner darkness is gone?"

She hung her head. _So much for him getting what I meant._ She shook her head. "No, it's still there, just somewhere very remote. Right now your chakra and energy are so radiant I think ninja four villages over would notice it without try…ing…" She paused for a long moment.

"Karin?" he asked, slightly confused by her pause.

_Four… villages… over… would notice… it?_ "NARUTO!" she ran forward and squarely slammed a hand into his head. He gave a sharp 'ow' and she kept whacking him repeatedly. "Quick quick quick!" she yelled in a hushed voice, "put it out! Put it out! Everyone's going to notice it!" Unfortunately, Naruto had no idea how to 'put it out', especially when he could only smile up at Karin acting like he'd seen her before when flustered and called on something she found embarrassing.

"Karin!" he managed to get her to pause her assault with his use of her name.

"Huh?" she asked, poised to deliver another strike and having stopped halfway.

"Did you know you're even beautiful when you're angry?" He beamed with delight at this comment.

She hesitated for a moment, blushing under the compliment before she realized it only made him _and me too, dammit_ happier and so she resumed her attack, trying vainly to suppress the overwhelming joy pouring from him… and her too, but she didn't bother admitting that her chakra was also glowing radiantly with her own delight.

]][[

Elsewhere, in a dark room barely lit by a few half-heartedly flickering torches, a masked man sat on a throne. His arms were set so that his hands were folded in front of him with his fingers threaded together. Another presence made itself known, slipping slowly 'out' of the wall, as though it had been one with the stone a mere second ago. The newcomer was 'half' a person split from top to bottom, the other half appearing as though it had been melted off. It was an entirely white body of a spongy, strange material, with spikes protruding from its waist in an unorganized pattern. It opened its mouth, "Sasuke is stable. He will be able to use his new power in a week or so."

The masked man smiled, not that any could see it, but he couldn't contain his excitement. "We'll have to move him soon then. While he's still unable to fight the decision. He's a stubborn idiot, that one, and I don't want him in a position to go rampaging again unless I'm directing it." He leaned back, resting his hands on the armrests of the throne this time. The darkness hid everything about him except one red eye full of greed and contempt that could faintly be seen reflecting the dim torchlight from behind his mask.

In a sudden flash of motion, a third figure joined the two. This one appearing using the traditional doorway and so a ways in front of the two already present. The newcomer wore a robe, but it bore the symbols associated with a cobra. "Madara Uchiha." it said, as though determining this was, in fact, the right place. "This was a pain to find, do you know how well hidden you are?" the voice under the hood teased.

"You…!" the white half-man angrily complained.

Silence came from the masked man that the newcomer had spoken to; until, a moment later, he finally spoke: "Don't mess with me, wretched spawn of Orochimaru. Crawl back to your egg and pray the shell will keep you safe without your parent-serpent."

The hooded man smirked and threw back his hood, revealing a face covered by scales and other snake-patternings around his eyes. A large white snake coiled protectively out from the bottom of his robe as he did so. "Knew it was me, huh?"

"How could I not? Kabuto, you are easily recognizable, ignoring the fact that this eye of mine cannot be deceived." the masked man replied casually and uninterestedly even while the white man held himself still despite his outrage at their lair's invader.

"Well, I'll get straight to the point then. I brought you a gift." Kabuto smirked, the snake in his robe depositing two bodies onto the ground. Neither bore any signs of life anymore, but one was unmistakably a Konoha ninja, the other was from Kumogakure.

"Get to the point."

"I know you received intel from your defeated ally. Unfortunately, it is wrong." Kabuto waved his hand at the bodies in front of him. "These two were carrying false information to corroborate it. Kisame was defeated, the information he sent to you is outdated. I'm sure you've heard about that giant turtle island where they planned to take the two remaining jinchuuriki?" He didn't wait for the masked man to reply, assuming he was right already. "They aren't there. It's a trap. If you go there, you're only wasting your effort and energy."

The man sat up in the throne. "But you know where they are, I take it?"

Kabuto grinned wickedly, "of course I do. Do I have your interest yet?"

"What do you want?"

"I want Sasuke. The last living Uchiha aside from yourself." Kabuto brazenly declared.

"and if I say no?" Madara replied, leaning forward to reveal his mask. The act startled Kabuto visibly, he had not expected the mask to bear a repeated circle-pattern matching the pattern of the legendary Rinnegan eye dotted with the markings of a Sharingan as well, and to see that one of Madara's eyes was now, in fact, the famed Rinnegan. "I see you've noticed it. Don't dare underestimate me, you abomination. I'm nothing like anything you've ever dealt with before; even in your twisted experiments."

"If you say no, I can always help **against** you." Kabuto replied blithely, "Frankly, I'd rather be on your side. It seems like the winning side. Of course, I can always help the other side… there's this experiment I've been running, it finally paid off. It's really neat," he paused, making sure he had both of their attentions, "I can neutralize the First Hokage's cells."

"WHAT!" The white creature shouted in outright anger and surprise.

"Silence Zetsu." Madara commanded. "Interesting," he was slightly surprised behind his mask, _Orochimaru you bastard, how much did you really know?_ He clapped slowly. "Alright, we'll figure out the specific terms now then, consider me curious. We'll figure out what happens with Sasuke later." He stood up and walked forward a few steps. "In the meantime, you are going to show me what you're bringing to my side of things. Hold anything back and I assure…" he glared angrily at Kabuto, "I'll pry everything valuable out of your soul and leave your lifeless husk where none shall find it with these eyes of mine!"

Kabuto bowed his head low, "…so it begins." is all he muttered under his breath.

]][[

In absolute darkness in another room, a figure lay silently on a bed. "Brother… your power was incredible… I hope you will be able to see our deserved revenge and the revival of our clan…" Sasuke held a hand above himself, towards the ceiling he could not see. He tensed momentarily and lightning danced around his hand. "…so much strength… and it's still growing…" He lowered his hand and placed it over his face in thought. _Naruto… let's see even the beast within you overtake me now._

]][[

_The terrors of Akatsuki have begun to move, but what else stirs? The Sound of Defeat!_

]][[

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.4/END


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:**

Ya know, I figured with summer break on its way, I'd have a lot more time to write this. Shows what I know don't it? Hopefully this will mark a change in update scheduling and I'll be able to churn out some more frequent chapters following this one, but we'll see. As of so far, I hit a snag with a lot of things to do around home actually BEING home for a change sooo that's why it has taken longer than previously anticipated. Also, getting back into Magic the Gathering for the first time in at least five years doesn't help my free time much. That, and attending a wedding that's 14-hours away by car so a total of 28 hours driving to-and-from makes for a bit of lost time for hobbies (and it was on my birthday, the 7th! *whines*). Regardless, enough excuses, your comments have all helped me along tremendously and so I hope chapter 5 lives up to it. Though, like I warned last time, we're going to start seeing some changes in the relations between 'fic' and 'canon' established by Kishi in the ongoing Manga. Of course, naturally Kishi sometimes stumbles into ideas that I have already hashed out for later chapters... but this is a fanfiction anyways, so I'm not going to feel guilty on 'omg copying him!' especially if I came up with it before he did! So I hope you all continue to enjoy the fic as it starts to more thoroughly deviate from the original content.

On a completely unrelated note, I've been considering what I will be doing AFTER I finish "Naruto: Spiral Heart" which is still a good ten chapters away I think, so don't fret that it'll be over soon! Still, I chanced upon the idea of asking what all the readers here might want to read next, so I figured I'd list the possibilities and see what people would be interested in. If you have a preference of any of the following that I'll list, please say so (and why if you're feeling ambitious!) in your review. Not to sound mean, but I will likely ignore reviews that are just: "do this fic next" on the grounds that it should be PM'ed to me and not posted as a review. Similar to the way I prefer fully thought-out reviews to "GUD WORK MOR PLZ" styled comments. So here are the list of potential stories (Unless overwhelmingly convinced, I won't be doing another Naruto story for a while after this one, it'd be pretty exhaustive and boring; even if I do get convinced, it'll likely be a story idea of my own and not a specific request) with a tiny snippet about each one and in no particular order of preference:

==A Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess based fanfiction, focusing on the aftermath following the ending of the game. I personally didn't care for that ending, so this would be a lengthy epilogue-style resolution. Wouldn't be too long a work, presumably, and would focus entirely on a Link-x-Midna pairing.

==A Bleach based fanfiction I've been working with on the side entitled "Bleach: Gates of Darkness". Seriously, screw the mangakas for spying on me though because the most recent Bleach movie came about AFTER I made this idea but focuses on an area previously unmentioned that I was taking liberties with (Hell)... but it's an 'alternate universe' styled fanfiction that I created by going back in time and changing one major facet of the past [[spoiler warning here:/ Aizen's no longer a villain or ridiculously overpowered /end spoiler]]. So the fic basically turns established Bleach characters and factions on their head to create a really weird, but believable universe. Would be -very- long, easily dozens of chapters, maybe even reaching into a hundred. Lots of pairings, probably crack or 'variants of traditional' pairings at that.

==A Magic the Gathering based fanfiction that I've felt heavily inspired to write after the release of the New Phyrexia block. I won't lie, it'd be very grim, dark, and horrific and I've only got vague ideas as to how I'd go about it at the moment, but it has my interest for now and I like the idea of such a dark piece. Lengthwise, no idea, depends what kind of plot I cooked up for it, it's too early to tell on that.

==A Final Fantasy XI based fanfiction that I was considering based on how incredibly good the stories are in that game, but how much of a hassle it is to get to them. I thought about it and realized that doing a transcribed version of them might make things pretty interesting. The length would probably not be so bad in these, and it'd cover the plots of everything from the three nations, the rise of the zilart, the shadowlord, dynamis, chains of promathia, treasures of aht urghan, and some of the job Artifact quests. Lengthwise would probably be pretty long, but I could break it into segments and do other works between the various 'arcs' of the game's stories. This idea is VERY tentative. I'm not sure I could actually do it, but it does have potential.

==A Big O based fanfiction that I was tempted to write while I rewatched the series. I always felt someone should do a really good tsundere story out of this and that toying with 's character could make an endearingly cute story if done right. Ahhh, my absolute weakness for a tsundere romance strikes again. This would likely be pretty short in length, at most 5 chapters.

==Reluctantly putting an additional Naruto fanfiction on here, but putting it all the same. If I -did- do another, I can safely say it'd be far less conclusive than this one and probably only focused on a specific idea/event/pairing. At the moment the only two ideas for this I'd toy with are NaruKyubi (because I haven't yet chanced across one of these in a non-yaoi fashion that was remotely well-done in my opinion) and perhaps something with Naruko instead. Length is unknown, and I'm hesitant to even put this out as an option, so don't put your vote casually here. You'd have to really mean it and really want me to suffer through it! lol.

==Something else entirely, you describe in detail what you'd be interested in and from what series and etc. in a PM and I'll see if it's doable or if I'm interested. I'm certain I can be commissioned to various ends if the 'payment' is satisfactory, though even I have my limits!

Anyways, those are the options, I'm going to throw out a couple of additional points for clarification too:  
=I'm not going to do anything based on One-Piece, so don't ask;  
=I'm also hesitant to touch a series I've never read before;  
=I don't write yaoi unless thoroughly bribed;  
=and lastly, I will weigh the votes more heavily in the favor of those with thought-out reviews most likely.

Also, since I won't even be starting on any other works 'til much later chapters of this (assuming I have free time), you can vote more than once, but only once per comment/review. I'm always open to PMs with questions, comments, ideas, and etc., so send away if you've got something you want to ask that you don't want to wait 'til my Author's Notes for another chapter to hear back on or if it's not enough to put in its own review/comment or you already made one and want to avoid a double-post. Lastly, I may have missed a few grammatical/spelling errors in this chapter in my hurry to get it to you after such a delay. I hope you'll forgive me! With that finished: Enjoy chapter 5 and the comment responses!

**End Author's Notes**

Comment Responses:

Omegahurricane: Thanks for the compliment! Who knows, maybe by the end I'll have exceeded Kishi in the eyes of some readers! Although I intend to handle things differently and this chapter is where the divergence really kicks into overdrive. Hope I don't lose you on account of it!

Hisoka316: You have my gratitude, this is a great review/comment and I'm happy to see it up there. I hope you keep enjoying it and I apologize for the gaps between my chapters... at least they're worth the wait right? Honestly I felt there was only so far I could drag out the romance and I didn't want it to be a five-chapter thing for him to settle on what is, so far in the story at least, already pretty obvious as his feelings. Though I won't entirely say I didn't drag the chapter out a fair bit longer to make sure each girl got the requisite time and at least some resolution on that front. Keep reading! They're not all down-and- out on romance yet!

The_black_Crow: Thanks for the clarification! Sorry if I came off as a jerk about that nickname thing! Hopefully I keep the pacing right and don't wind up rushing things you feel are super important later on without capturing it well like I did with the romance. Personally I feel it's kind of a spurious thing, but a certain thing. Unless the story was ENTIRELY about the romance, it shouldn't take a chapter per 'potential interest' in my opinion, but that's just my standpoint on things. Even if the story is entirely romance, an important element is seeing it mature, not just 'getting to the dating status' area. Hopefully it keeps going in a way that you enjoy!

Hektols: I see where you're coming from with Hinata, though my goal is to create a more independent character in her. I want to see her 'grow', if that makes any sense. That, and yeah, I was going for some sympathy for her. After all, she didn't do anything 'wrong' really, so trying to portray her as an unwanted romance lead from that angle would just feel awkward and forced. Overall though, Naruto has only really occasionally noticed her, and even in Kishi's work he hasn't even responded to her yet! So while I do portray her sympathetically, don't worry, she's not without hope for happiness now! There are more pairings than just NaruKarin in this story!

Sunwraith: Glad ya liked it! Hope you enjoy chapter 5!

MKTerra: Sorry, didn't mean to 'lump you in' with that, it was more just a thing where I wanted you to see the other comment because it was on a similar topic. Honestly, aside from this particular Naruto fanfiction that I'm writing and one that Nezumi0505 found for me, I don't read much fanfiction. I tend to have pretty specific tastes about things and a pretty high standard for writing quality. Not that there aren't good writers out on this site, but they can be very hard to find... especially for pairings I'm interested in. As for unique abilities... well... maybe this chapter will satisfy a craving for those. We'll see! Hopefully you enjoy it.

NarutoWarpaint: You'll be happy to know that Sakura has quite a 'journey' ahead of her, I wouldn't just make her "Oh, it's all better!" just because Naruto wasn't interested in her 'that' way. I hope how I handle her eventual fate really works out and is not only believable, but enjoyable.

Nezumi0505: Thanks for toning it down a bit on length! Also why am I not surprised that in all that chapter one of your favorite moments was Sasuke? I hope you like this chapter, it should help answer some of your speculations too!

Miclovesnaruto: Glad to hear that you like it so much, hopefully I don't disappoint you with later chapters!

Craven34: I can honestly agree with you on difficulty in finding pairings you like. So often you find stuff that's set in an Alternate Universe or something, which is fine... but it is seldom expanded on. For me, making an alternate universe piece is actually MORE work because I want to make sure the entire constructed universe makes sense. That... and sometimes you search a pairing you like and find only 3 fics with a combined length of under 3k words. That's always fun. This chapter should give some good focus on the things you mentioned!

AvoidedIsland: Nice! I love comments like that, I'm glad I could give you a refreshing look at things and I hope I keep up that enthusiasm from you. I always felt that a lot of the female characters tended to get ignored in the area of 'growth' and instead are only used for the random 'plot necessity'. Stay tuned to what I do with 'em and let me know what you think! Also, in regards to the descriptive bit, the way I tend to do that is by describing what I'd like to read if I were reading it myself. It keeps me from rambling on (usually) and so it's nice and concise while still hopefully conveying what I want it to. Anyways, thanks again for the review, it's ones like these that really spur me on to work harder.

Mudcake: I'm just going to go ahead and cite artistic 'lens' for why I don't like my chapters. Most people who can 'create' develop a tendency to be overly critical of their own work so as not to come off sounding like snobs. Honestly I'd be surprised if I ever post: "I'm really happy with this chapter!" lol.

Sential: Heh, you mentioned Hawk and, go-figure, they're due to make an appearance of their own here in a bit. Probably not in chapter 5, but they definitely haven't been forgotten. I honestly appreciate that compliment that I'm better than canon, I tried my hardest to make sure it's believable and fits the existing universe that was established. The goal was to make it an 'improvement' and your review tells me I'm on the right track. Like the others who've made similar comments: thank you, it really spurs me on to keep writing.

SirTragic: Like I've said before, the romance isn't the -only- factor, and it probably feels a bit rushed because I don't want it to JUST be their romance or JUST the 'start' of their romance. The story is intended to be conclusive, so there will be an 'ending' and not just some loose "happily ever after" nonsense. Awesome that you can see it in manga format, honestly if I had enough willing artists I think it'd be great to actually see this drawn out in the frames. Unfortunately I traded my visual-art skills for literary-skills! I definitely know how you feel about browsing fics though, I'm always hunting for great stories with very little in the way of success. I also appreciate the understanding on real life coming first, but I'll do my best to keep churning out chapters when I can. Hopefully I keep up the 'refreshing' nature of the work for you!

ShadowWolfZero: I do spend some time planning things out, but generally not as long as it takes to actually be motivated to write them or muster the willpower to do so. I tend to wait til the thunderbolt of inspiration and drive hits me so only the finest quality of what I can output gets posted here. As for using personal experience... yes and no. Some of it I draw from experiences, most of it I draw from what I'd want to read. I write what I would be concerned about, what I'd think would enhance the scene, what I think makes it more interesting. I also try to do so without an uncontrollable flow of rhetoric such as: "Her hair was crimson like the dried blood of an innocent deer on a fresh winter snow." because that's one of those: "Woah woah, where the hell did dead deer in winter come from?" moments. Frankly, I'm quite pleased that the kiss was shown as more important. That was quite literally my goal, to show how much more astounding that was in comparison. Glad you liked it!

DustinWhitewind: I hope you keep liking it, I know how great it can be to find a fic you actually like of a pairing you really enjoy so I'm glad I could help!

End Comment Responses

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 5: _The Sound of Defeat

"So you're saying you can make use of these Zetsu clones to copy the enemy ninja and use assassination to whittle away their efforts?" The serpentine man inquired, leaned back in a chair with his hood drawn up so only the cracked and scaled mouth could be seen. He sat at a large table, carved and lashed together out of bone… some of which was unmistakably human in origin. He sat a few seats away from the masked man who sat at the head of it while there was the twin-bodies of the black and white Zetsu nearby joined back into one and wearing the Akatsuki robe once more.

"Essentially, yes. The first attack will be a diversion, little more. Ninja wars are won in the silent darkness, not on a noisy battlefield. It is a long since forgotten… 'appreciation'… for the necessity of stealth and subterfuge that will win this conflict." The masked man seemed almost amused at the idea of his enemies expecting a full 'war' in the traditional sense. He wore a mask that displayed a motif similar to a combined Rinnegan and Sharingan, the separate tomoe on the bottom each were an eyehole through which two of the strongest three eye types gazed unblinkingly.

These were the two most dangerous men in the world… _in their minds_. The black-haired youth thought amusedly. He was not actually present at the meeting, he had been deemed 'unready' and also was being kept specifically away from Kabuto. Both of these irked him significantly. _I can handle the bastard spawn of Orochimaru and I'm far more powerful than you think Madara._ He shook his head gently, it didn't matter, after all he had found a way to listen in regardless. He smirked at the catatonic Zetsu-clone sitting on the floor. Its eyes were glazed over and had he cared, he might've stopped the technique earlier to prevent any lasting damage. _There are dozens more like you. I have no concern for breaking one._ The young man closed his eyes to concentrate on his technique once more. He had been lost in his thoughts and not paying attention through his 'hijacked' connection with the Zetsu clone. _Amusing, Danzo was actually right, my illusions were nothing compared to Itachi's… but now I have your power too Brother._ He smiled, and resumed concentrating to get back into the conversation.

"The reason, you presumptuous serpent, that we are withholding our own techniques is to inspire fear." Madara calmly rebuffed Kabuto.

"But we could end this much quicker and achieve both of our goals if we were to get involved more directly and-" the hooded man sounded agitated.

"-and we'd be revealing what all we could do, allowing extra time for them to figure out ways to best us. They are fools, but even a fool can eventually figure out anything if given enough time. I have no intent of letting them know even half of what I'm capable of before it is too late."

"…a good point… I simply feel by waiting we also invite them to counter us." The hooded figure once again tried to suggest an idea in a frustrated tone.

"Except you're forgetting their numbers are in the thousands with families and lovers, ours is only four core individuals with dozens of expendables. We are a much smaller, less vulnerable target than they are while they continue to amass themselves." The masked man dismissively waved a hand. "You're over thinking this and worrying too much Kabuto, it's unsurprising really, you expect me to think of you as a simpleton. I've warned you before," he leaned forward and glared menacingly at the hooded figure, "do not underestimate me if you expect to be anything more than a corpse in a lab."

Kabuto held up his hands in a 'surrendering' gesture, "I abase myself, I only wish to be certain I've thrown my chips in with the winning team." He grinned broadly, the kind of smile meant to reveal deadly teeth, not to show joy. "After all, I have to look out for my own interests." and he turned his gaze idly towards Zetsu as he said it.

_What? Does he know I'm watching? That'd be impossible, even Madara hasn't detected it!_ Sasuke thought as he sat in his room quietly. _No, he's interested in Zetsu, I don't blame him entirely, this 'creature' is quite unique. He's somehow everywhere at once and it's somehow a different persona but the same individual… so bizarre. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to 'hijack' into his mental network shared across his 'roots' like this… enough!_ He shook his head again and resumed concentration, but it was too late, the meeting had ended. He cursed himself for having not paid as great attention. He knew only a few vague details now; mainly that Madara stressed a tactic of patience and attrition.

"Oh well, time to make a few moves of my own." He stood up and tied the blindfold back around his face, despite it no longer being remotely necessary it would be useful in keeping up appearances. He heard a low groan and realized the Zetsu he'd used was actually still able to think. "Regrettable, I was thinking you'd be a lasting way to tap into it, now I've got to make sure you don't go blabbing what you've learned. Katon…" he began, moments later walking away from a seared pile of ash on the ground.

A little less than an hour later, Sasuke arranged to casually walk past Kabuto, but both knew better than to think this was a mere accident or coincidence within seconds. They stopped only a few steps past one another, neither turning to face the other. Sasuke spoke first, "So which one are you…?"

Kabuto's grin could practically be felt, "Oh I bet that's something you're dying to know, aren't you Sasuke…" He paused for a moment and added, as if in afterthought, "does it entirely matter though?"

"No. It doesn't, the message is the same. Don't even consider making me a target. You and I aren't in the same league or even close you half of a person." Sasuke coldly warned him.

"Oh my… I do seem to be getting told that a lot lately… but what would Madara do if I took you right here and left? I feel like it's almost worth risking it…" Kabuto replied, his hands tensing and flexing, readying themselves for combat even as a large white snake uncoiled from the depths of his cloak.

"Don't forget that I utterly subjugated Orochimaru and then destroyed him when he wasn't useful for me anymore." Sasuke replied, his hands also loosening themselves subtly.

"That's funny… I heard in the end Itachi was the one who dragged him out of you and saved you from the possession technique after you underestimated it. Who exactly is doing the underestimating here, Sasuke? It might be you… after all, if I _am_ Orochimaru, what makes you think I've given up… and if I'm Kabuto… what makes you think I've just gone and forgiven you for killing my master?" Kabuto turned, a warm and friendly expression on his face that anyone who knew him would never trust. "But don't worry, you'll be mine in the long run anyways. Why jeopardize that with **impatience**…?" Kabuto chuckled and turned to walk away, leaving Sasuke slightly ruffled by the way he had stressed the word.

_Does he somehow know I listened in at the meeting? It's not possible. What kind of foolish posturing is that cocky fool trying to achieve and why? What does he have in reserve?_ Sasuke kept walking, angered at how the encounter had not quite gone according to his plan. He had hoped to inspire fear in Kabuto, and instead found himself doubting whether the snake of a man was all he seemed. He was lost in thought and not paying attention when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Did you think I wouldn't know, Sasuke?" the familiar muffled voice of Madara whispered to him.

"About what?" Sasuke replied unconcerned.

Madara whipped the blindfold from Sasuke's face with a deft hand gesture. "That you can see once again. How else would you 'commandeer' a Zetsu?" He asked, knowing the answer already.

"How?" Sasuke asked, not letting his voice betray any of his surprise.

"Oh Sasuke, you're so young. You think you've got a good grip on your power, you think you understand the Sharingan and that you alone are its greatest wielder." Madara replaced his hand lightly on Sasuke's shoulder. "You really need to grow up!" Sasuke didn't react quick enough to avoid getting suddenly backhanded in the face by that same hand and sprawled onto the floor. "What do you think? Do you think that you can outwit me? Do you think that because **I** transplanted your brothers eyes into you that you can suddenly overpower me? Fool! Even had I not detected your invasion into Zetsu's mind, and I'm sure Kabuto did as well, but even if I had not I would still know your eyes had healed! Why? Because only an idiot would've attempted to threaten that unknown snake of a person without their techniques available. You, Sasuke, are not an idiot, are you?"

Sasuke tried to come up with an answer that didn't make him appear both foolish and humbled and found none. Madara had chosen his words specifically to that end. "No, I am not, and don't strike me again or you'll regret it."

"Sasuke, I already regret it, you're good material and I absolutely despise having to waste or damage that. You do know Kabuto is after you, yet you dangle yourself in front of him. Pointless risks like that will be your undoing. Also, you will have to trust me: spying on the meetings will do you no good. You'll be admitted to them in your own time, until then show me that you actually understand the concept of patience." Madara pointed a finger towards Sasuke's chamber. "Return to your room until I have need of you." He signed with his fingers on his other hand while he did, a secret message to Sasuke alone: 'do not return to your room under any circumstances, you will be led by another Zetsu to a separate base and you will need to hide yourself there. Kabuto acquired your scent in that idiotic encounter you arranged and he is tracking you even now. Follow the instructions Zetsu gives you.'

Sasuke nodded slowly, but got up and went in a direction towards his room, knowing full well the Zetsu he was meant to meet would interrupt him before he arrived and lead him where he needed to go now. He was bristling with anger, but knew he had made the mistakes himself and had no one else to blame.

Madara watched him go in silence. _That little idiot. He's practically more trouble than he's worth… I need to keep him and Kabuto from killing each other… for now._

]][[

He sat quietly, concentrating deeply and focusing inward. He hadn't received any guiding prompts from the girl sitting across from him in a while, nor had he been overwhelmed recently. He smirked slightly and opened eyes. "I think I've got it."

"Oh? You've got a grip on things now Naruto? Can you confirm it Karin?" The man in the jounin vest standing to the side asked impatiently, obviously unconvinced.

"Hold on…" the red-haired girl straightened her glasses and closed her eyes, a gesture that Naruto smiled at for how contradictory the two motions were. A few moments later she opened her eyes, a beaming smile on her face. "Nothing! The only darkness in him is the fox, aside from that he's really got it!" She shouted in exuberance, obviously happy for him and also looking as though she were proud of him.

"How'd you do it Naruto?" the man asked.

"Come on Woody, if he says he got it under control: it's time for step two, not more talking, lets roll!" A dark skinned man who'd just joined them gleefully exclaimed.

"It's Yamato, Bee, stop calling me 'Woody', how many times have I got to ask?"

"Ask all ya want, makes no diff, your name's gonna keep bein' Woody while you're actin so stiff! Wheee!" Bee trumpeted his uncaring glee to the world as Naruto chuckled and Karin simply shook her head in disapproval at his wild antics.

"…Fine. Whatever. How'd you do it Naruto?" Yamato demanded impatiently.

"Well," Naruto began, standing up and making exaggerated hand gestures as he told his piece, "I thought you had to overpower it at first… but it never worked! I tried to think about those proverb things I'd heard before about violence begetting violence… but that didn't work either! I got my butt kicked by what felt like a shadow of myself. Then uh…" he glanced briefly at Karin who blushed and looked away, not meeting his gaze as she slowly stood to her feet. "Then I had a sudden inspiration and realized I had to accept it about myself! I just took it in and made it part of me too!"

Yamato nodded, looking between Naruto and Karin again and seeing the obvious interactions that implied a great deal more than either let on. "Bee, does that check out?" he turned, asking the man with him.

"Got that right, darkness ain't something you can fight."

"Well, what's our next move then?" Yamato finally seemed gratified by the combined answers and reassurances.

"Next, I can tell ya right now… I'm hoping to actually train the person under my instruction…" the third man who had just joined them added as if in afterthought.

"Oh, of course, Karin, you're free to go with Iruka-…er, if that's what's next right Bee?" Yamato embarrassedly added the end-bit, being entirely unaware himself what was in store next for Naruto.

"Ain't a reason to worry, Naruto can get to the next part without his girly." Bee replied with a huge grin on his face. Naruto blushed and looked away with a grin of his own on his face while Karin's face went red and she started to shout a range of arguments and reasons against it.

Iruka nodded, a knowing smile on his face at her outburst, "Come on Karin, we'll leave Naruto to them then."

"But! No! I've gotta stay with hi-… no I mean they can have him, but they better not hurt him! Err… No! I mean good luck or… wait…" she kept stammering out responses, trying to find some middle ground between concerned and not caring about Naruto… and failing miserably.

Naruto turned, "Don't worry Karin, I'll be fine, there hasn't been a thing I couldn't handle yet!" He waved enthusiastically as Iruka practically dragged her away, smiling at her antics and muttering: "She's so cute when she's flustered…"

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of it and he turned with a chilling sensation as he practically knew what was coming. He saw Yamato glaring at him and opened his mouth to start to explain himself but Yamato's face flashed a glimpse of the terrifying visage he adopted on occasion and he muttered in a threatening tone: "I didn't and won't be asking, so don't tell me or think I want to know." Naruto nodded in silence, swallowing loudly to try and keep his composure.

"Chill Woody, he's got enough on his plate to be lectured on worryin' bout his date." Bee offered only for Yamato to round on him with the same face. "Ah-h-h what I meant is listen up for the next stage, you're close it's time to see how you manage!" He held up both of his hands in a sort-of-surrender pose as he began to explain what was coming next for the three of them.

]][[

On a separate training area adjacent to the one they'd left Naruto, Yamato, and Bee in, Iruka stood with his arms folded while Karin leaned against a tree in the shade.

"So…" Iruka began, producing his clipboard once again and flipping through a pieces of paper on it, "…what kind of ninja are you?"

Karin looked perplexed for a moment and then giggled, "Is that a trick question? I'm a sensor type with some medical abilities."

"No. You're not." Iruka's stern expression rebuffed her more than the tone of his voice. "There's nothing even remotely like your technique anywhere else. I checked the records, no one's even been able to develop anything remotely close. Moreover, I gave it some thought… Orochimaru kidnapped you."

She frowned and looked away, "He doesn't kidnap everyone, some join him willingly." She instinctively ran a hand up through her hair on the mussed side and straightened her glasses. _He's asking because he knows… he has to know… but how could he possibly know! I didn't tell anyone, not even Sasuke! So yeah, he can't know, but he's gotten suspicious… he's at least more trustworthy than Kabuto… that wretched bastard never stopped watching me._

"No, he doesn't always kidnap people, but the only people he would show any personal interest in are the ones with unique abilities. Your sensor technique doesn't seem like enough considering he would've been more interested in the Hyuga if it was just a jutsu he could develop otherwise." Iruka continued at length, "I'm not trying to force you, but it might be a good idea to explore what you can really do around friends."

She rounded angrily on him, "You wouldn't know a thing about it! Of course he was interested in unique abilities! Do you know how many people I was forced to oversee their dissections? My 'technique' was important for watching chakra fluctuations and seeing the details he might've missed. The only reason I didn't wind up on those tables or in a cell waiting to have my body stolen was because I made sure he never thought anything valuable of me beyond basic utility!" She turned back away in a huff, not wanting him to see that her eyes were starting to tear up slightly. _Dammit! Why am I letting that get to me now! I've already dealt with that!_

She couldn't get the images out of her mind though, what she'd seen and how she'd forcibly kept her composure during it all only to get back to her room and shiver in disgust and terror. Sometimes she'd get sick afterwards, but she never let either of those two see even a moment of weakness from her even when it nearly killed her. She shivered even now and hugged herself tightly as though to shut out the memories.

Iruka saw that and shook his head, mentally cursing himself for pushing her so much on what was clearly an unpleasant subject. Unfortunately, the Hokage had given him orders, he had to figure out just what made her so special and he had to train her properly. "I'm sorry Karin, we'll try it when you're ready and not a moment sooner."

She turned and saw him beginning to put away a stack of small papers he'd produced while she had been lost in her thoughts. "What are those?" she asked, trying to do anything to take her mind off the subject.

"Chakra-paper. I was going to test your nature transformation. I know it's early and a bit advanced, but I figure you're up to the task, especially to impress Naruto." He replied casually, adding the last part to try and cheer her up or at least distract her. "Let's not worry about that and just do some review practice instead though!"

She strode over to him and snatched a sheet from the top of the stack. "No, no I can't keep running away from it and if I can't trust you guys, then I'm really never going to be able to call this 'home'." She pressed the paper between her hands gently, and added: "Besides… you've been nothing but kind to me. So… don't tell anyone else yet… but here it is…" she concentrated for a moment before revealing the result on the paper to Iruka.

"That's…!" He nearly fell backwards in surprise and awe, his jaw agape as he stared in wonder. "I don't believe it…"

]][[

Sakura sat quietly on the edge of her bed, leaning downwards with her chin in her hands and her arms propped up on her knees. She silently mouthed the things she'd wanted to hear and say while thinking about she'd actually heard and said. Her mind was a maelstrom of awful thoughts that would have driven her to tears if only she felt as though she still had tears left to cry.

_Tsunade's too good for me anymore, she doesn't want to train or help me because she's found the limits of my abilities and just doesn't care anymore. Why train a pupil when you don't think they're capable of anything to begin with! Ino tries to help even while she doesn't understand anything of my pain or suffering. None of it makes any sense to her so it's just empty gestures! Then there was Naruto… what a hypocrite! He was the worst! A sister? What kind of crap was that! Sure, I didn't exactly give him much to go off of, but what happened to all his talk about loving me and that crush of his!_ Her mind roiled with half-hearted rationalizations as she kept trying to dismiss each person as not 'understanding' her. It never worked. It all came back to it being her fault somehow. _God, what am I doing doubting my friends like this? But… but they don't understand! How could they understand what I'm feeling!_

She thrashed around suddenly, as though she could shake off those feelings as she moved wildly. She wound up no better off than she'd started, only now she was lying on her back on the bed and panting from her exertions and stared up at the ceiling. "Is this what you felt like Sasuke?" she said aloud, banishing the silence around her for a moment. "Always outpaced by someone who didn't have such an important thing to do as you… no wonder Naruto always irritated you. Meanwhile, everyone around you kept offering pity without having any way of possibly understanding how you felt. They don't even realize that their misguided attempts at pity only make it hurt worse do they?"

She didn't know what had possessed her to start speaking aloud, but it comforted her for some reason. That, and of course, comparing herself to Sasuke. She hadn't thought about it that way before, and the revelation surprised her with its comforting comparisons. All the time she'd spent trying to sort out how she felt about all the different circumstances around her, it was liberating to just let herself be mad and angry. _Why not? Sasuke was driven by his hatred and look how strong it made him! Why shouldn't I be angry anyways? It just means I can understand him even better too!_ She grinned at the thought, the first time she'd really felt joy in the past weeks that she could remember.

"But… no one's taught me any fancy super-powerful techniques… or nature transformation or anything like that. I was groomed by Tsunade to wind up just like her. Only she wanted her protégé to stay weaker than her… she looks better by comparison. That's probably why Shizune can't do much in a real fight." Sakura chuckled, a laugh without mirth or compassion. "At least I'm a step up from her. I at least mastered the concentrated chakra techniques." She punched the air suddenly in anger. _It doesn't make any difference though! In the end I'm still just the rank and file like Ten-Ten. What an idiot, she thinks she actually matters with her rapid-fire kunai and weaponry. That sand-bitch proved how useless she was three years ago and she hasn't grown at all since then. Just another face in the background of the exceptional… just like me._

"No!" she shouted loudly, "It won't stay that way! I won't let it! I won't just be a helpless observer while Sasuke and Naruto kill each other! I'll settle it myself, I'll be the one that resolves all this and finds the balance between those two like I always should've been!" She stood up and stormed out of the room with a new determination that she hadn't found before. She would find Shizune and demand every form of training she could receive, no matter how difficult.

]][[

She found it hard to believe what she was hearing as Sakura extolled at length about how she wanted to push herself to become someone who could stand on even footing with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. "Sakura…" Shizune tried to put herself into the conversation and interrupt the rant Sakura was on.

"Huh?" Sakura was caught off guard by the timid tone, but paused and then motioned for her to go on.

"Well, you've got the determination, and I can't argue that it's a good idea… but you're at the limits of what medical ninjutsu can do without really getting into the creepy territory of immortality techniques." Shizune saw Sakura's crestfallen appearance and continued rapidly: "but that's okay! Medical ninja aren't meant to be the strongest in technique or martial arts. Our goal is to save lives, and that makes all the difference. If two people of equal strength fight, the one that gets healed and survives wins, even if they lost the fight." She saw Sakura nodding and, reassured, continued to keep at it. "Strength in the wrong hands only leads to trouble anyways, the Raikage did so much more harm than good all over a simple mistake about his brother! Just look at how strength in the wrong places causes misery and you'll realize that it isn't everything. If you want to do what's best, you'll focus on refining your medical techniques… that way, neither Sasuke nor Naruto will die if you're around." She ended with a beaming smile…

…that vanished instantly when she actually paused to look at Sakura.

"So you're saying you think I shouldn't be any stronger? It'd be putting it in the wrong hands?" Sakura was visibly trembling; whether from rage or despair, Shizune couldn't quite tell.

"No, that's not it, I was saying that-"

"Stop it! I get it! There's nothing that you or Tsunade or anyone here can do to help me get strong enough to do what needs to be done." Sakura stood up and turned, intent on storming out of Shizune's office.

"Wait wait!" Shizune called after her, trying a dozen different ways of explaining what she meant and practically tripped over herself trying to stand up to keep Sakura from leaving. "I just mean that there's an honor and strength in being a medical ninja too! Restraint! Holding yourself back, being patient, being able to keep a level head even when people are being hurt around you… it's honestly the greatest challenge you can face in my opinion." She saw Sakura turn, a dark and concentrating look on the profile-view Shizune had of her face.

A second later Sakura turned, a light smile on her face. _Did I really see that look? That face that looked so sad…_ she thought as Sakura held up a hand motioning her back to her seat. "You're probably right, Shizune. I've been overreacting to things lately. I think I'll take a bit of a break. No missions, just some time off. I know it's a bad time, but… I need to get myself in order." Her voice was distant, as though she had just lost something important.

Shizune nodded, "I'll clear it with Tsunade. You take a week off or maybe two. I think it's a really great idea." She felt intensely relieved, relaxing back into her seat. _Sakura, I'm sorry you've been having a rough time lately and I'm honestly glad you're on the road to feeling better again._

The pink-haired girl stood and bowed. "Thanks Shizune. It means a lot to me." Shizune waved it off and Sakura righted herself and turned around. "What you said was what I needed to hear." she added, making Shizune blush a bit with pride at having helped resolve the situation. Sakura added one last thing before she left: "Oh, and I'm… sorry." She said and walked out before a reply could be made.

"Don't worry about it, everyone has their down moments Sakura." Shizune said to herself now that she was alone.

Outside the building, Sakura walked down the streets of Konoha, a small smile on her face; though it appeared strained if anyone looked close. As she walked, she kept running into people she knew who asked with concerned expressions how she was 'holding up'. Sakura waved off most of it, insisting she was fine and explaining her 'week off' plan to her friends like Kiba or Hinata. They all thought it was a great idea for the most part. She had only one person she really wanted to tell and ran into her in the company of the last person she wanted to tell. She tried to avoid them together, but they saw her anyway so she decided to just tell them both.

"Ino!" She waved, "Oh, and hi Sai."

They both waved back, though Sai's was as stiff and calculated it might as well have been a wooden cutout with a movable part. Ino seemed pleased that he actually had attempted a wave at all though. "What's up Sakura?" Ino asked, concerned, but trying to hide it behind a friendly tone to keep the conversation from drifting that way unless absolutely necessary.

"Not a lot, I've decided I'm going to take some time off. I know it's a horrible time to do that, but I'm in no condition to be fighting right now, we all know that." Sakura sheepishly admitted.

"Are you sure?" Ino asked, "I don't think being all alone right now would be best…"

Sai looked back and forth between the two and then interjected his usual monotone observation: "Sakura, running away from your problem won't solve anything."

"Sai!" Ino hissed and he put up his hands in an obviously practiced shrug and adopted his familiar 'fake smile' before adding a "…but it's obvious on the subject of emotional issues I'm the worst person to listen to."

Ino nodded, smiling at Sai for his attempt at recovering the situation before turning back to Sakura. She was surprised to see Sakura still had the same smile on her face. "Sorry about him, he's getting better though."

Sakura shook her head, "No no, it's alright, he's usually pretty accurate about that stuff, if a little rough around the edges. I'm pretty much doing just that. I want to put it all on hold until I can recollect and 'prepare' myself properly for all of it." She sighed a bit, but kept that same smile strained on her face. "I'll be alright."

Ino nodded, "I'm glad to hear it!" and patted Sakura on the shoulder before the pink-haired girl walked off on her way again.

]][[

Sai stared after her for a moment and then turned to Ino: "Why did you lie? It doesn't make you glad at all." He saw Ino sag slightly in an all too familiar posture of worry and sadness. _I've never seen her look so helpless and miserable._ Sai thought, slightly worried about the distressed blonde.

"Because I'm not sure this will help her. In fact, I'm pretty sure it'll do just the opposite. She needs to stop finding reasons to avoid it and just confront it all so it doesn't become a repressed thing that destroys her…" Ino practically complained, as though Sai could somehow help Sakura with her problems that Ino herself had been working on for a while with no success. She bit her lip in concern, chewing it lightly as though she had to act but couldn't quite manage anything else sufficient.

Sai stared at her in silence, considering her reply and surprised when he didn't find it important. _Hmm. Why does the information about Sakura seem so irrelevant? Maybe this is part of all the emotions she's been trying to get me to understand and express now. Hmm. If that's the case, then the appropriate response…_ he stopped and considered it for a moment before he settled on a method he'd found consistently cheered her up. He moved his hand out and gently took hold of hers, squeezing it gently.

She turned with a surprised little smile on her face, before she shook her head, let go of his hand, and actually moved forward and leaned against his chest. Taken aback, he remained quite motionless, his hand still held out though it was now empty. He opened his mouth to ask a question but remembered one of her lessons: "when you're not sure how to react about something that seems intimate, but you still want to do the right thing, just reciprocate." She'd told him that so that he didn't respond with embarrassing questions during a romantic moment, but it seemed fitting now too. He slowly raised his arms around her, unsure but committed to it and gently hugged her.

"I think she's gonna hurt herself Sai…" Ino practically whimpered, her worry for her friend overwhelming her.

"She seems more likely to hurt others first." Sai pointed out, assessing what he knew of her and her situation. A light and ineffective thump against his chest from one of her balled fists let him know he'd screwed up again. _It's been like this for a few weeks now. Ever since I noted that she'd like to be a 'couple', she's been trying to help me get more in touch with these things… but… it's extremely awkward at times and though informative, it is difficult. Not that she seems to mind and I definitely don't, but I…_ and Sai blinked confusedly for a moment and where his thoughts had just gone so unexpectedly. _…but I don't want to disappoint her? That's unusual. It shouldn't matter, yet I find myself as dedicated to that goal as I am to Naruto's bringing-back-Sasuke dream. How strange… _He looked down at her slowly, surprised at how pretty he thought she was, even while she was upset.

Without knowing quite what compelled him to do it, he raised a hand to her hair and tilted her face to look at him directly and added: "Don't worry. It'll be alright." and then held her more tightly. He could feel the tension leave her as she relaxed and simply enjoyed the embrace. It was odd, her relaxed comfort made him smile, but he hadn't planned to. It had come unbidden to his face, and for once… it was genuine.

]][[

For a week, things had kept on going in a calm and unusually tranquil fashion. Those who didn't know about the looming war were living in happily ignorant bliss. Konoha was rebuilding, repairing, and silently… preparing. Each moment spent peacefully to those who knew what was coming was cherished more than the last. Naruto had been preparing for the next step he'd been told about, actually avoiding others while he readied himself. The higher-ups were mobilizing themselves and forming plans. The academy was accelerating its training. Everything pointed towards to the eventuality everyone secretly knew was coming but desperately wanted to pretend it wasn't for just a day longer.

Karin saw all of it, and faced a dilemma of her own. Iruka had understood her reluctance to show her abilities to others, especially after he saw her ability firsthand, but he told her to come to a decision by the end of this week about whether or not she wanted to actually try and develop and use it. He'd driven his point home with a final blow that practically guaranteed her response: "If you were to master this, you'd be a huge help to Naruto. It's pretty much everything he needs." He'd said, and though normally this would be a pep talk that she could write off, she knew he was actually right. It was something that, she was told, if mastered could actually stand up to even an Uchiha. She only knew of two such individuals left in the world and she was well aware that Naruto was guaranteed to come into conflict with both of them. She still had another day though, _and I'm going to use it to really figure out if this is a good idea. There's no doubt about it, it'll ramp me straight up to the top of the 'target' list for the enemy. Iruka didn't even try to hide that fact._

She released her technique and opened her eyes, she'd found Naruto and would go speak to him before she made her final decision about it. Maybe he would say something to infuriate her or convince her to keep it hidden. He did, after all, know all about abilities that were unnatural. _Not that I actually believe any of that will happen. He's too sweet though, if I told him he'd tell me to keep it hidden and stay comfortable while he went and solved it all himself. _She nodded quietly, ignoring the nagging feeling in her heart. The little voice that kept reminding her that she was actually just making up a reason to see him given how distant he'd been since the day Bee and Yamato had spoken to him alone. She shook her head from side-to-side rapidly: "It was one kiss! …with a lot of parts… and I loved every second of it… but that doesn't mean we're a couple or something!" She sighed loudly, her outburst ineffective in the slightest when her only thought was: _but I wish we were…_

]][[

"What kind of plan is that!" Naruto shouted at his friend, drawing some strange glances from the people around them as the 'hero of Konoha' shouted at a Jounin.

"Shut up Naruto!" Shikamaru hissed back. "It's a great plan if you think about it."

"I don't quite follow though…" he responded with frown.

"Like I said, the Joint Shinobi Alliance decided that while you and Bee are the vital lynchpins of this battle as the jinchuriki of the eight and nine-tailed beasts. Tsunade is still arguing that you be involved in the fighting, but she can't win that argument while you're untrained." He had begun from the beginning again, explanations always went this way with Naruto. It never failed to be troublesome, but Shikamaru had decided to tell him so that he'd be aware of where some of his friends were going without having to worry too much.

"Okay… so…?" Naruto asked expectantly, encouraging Shikamaru to continue.

"So each of the villages is exchanging a 'guard' for the host we're escorting to a 'secure location'. With so many swapped around, no one will know exactly which village is housing you. I'll be going to Sunagakure with a few other people with the impression that we're moving you to a new hideout. While we're there, I'll act as an envoy for the Leaf to help ease tensions of this alliance we all have. A lot of others will be going to other villages so no single village will be overwhelmingly targeted and you and Bee can finish your training." He finished with a sigh, "it's a lot of trouble we're going to over you so that you can actually be useful instead of just a potential hostage risk."

Naruto glowered, "I'm not helpless ya know, I can handle myself."

Shikamaru shook his head and let out an exasperated groan, "You sure are a handful, ya know that? It's not just for that, we're also going to try and find where Akatsuki's base is located without giving away that we're looking for it. It's why a sensor ninja is going with each team."

"Who is going with you for that? Kiba?"

"No, Hinata actually. She volunteered." He replied, carefully gauging Naruto's response as he knew the two were close friends.

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before he flashed a warm smile. "That's great! Glad to hear she's not still upset. Besides, Gaara will make sure she's safe."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but did nothing else to betray his surprise at Naruto's genuinely enthusiastic reply. "Well, that's all there is for it. Do me a favor though, show that fox who's boss quick, the sand is going to be an unpleasant change of living conditions for me. Besides, you'll be doing Tsunade a lot of good with her efforts to keep you actually involved in this war and not just sealed up in a box somewhere. The Raikage is quite vehemently against it. He even suggested killing you to make the fox bodiless for hopefully the duration of the war." Shikimaru's stern expression made it clear he didn't approve of that particular strategy.

Naruto laughed, "Yeah, he seemed like the kind of guy who would suggest something like that. All of the Kumogakure ninja are pretty unhinged it seems like. Very wild and direct individuals. I'm glad they're on our side."

Shikamaru's eyebrow went up again, "I'm honestly surprised that didn't bother you more."

Naruto gave him a thumbs up and a broad smile full of his familiar unflappable enthusiastic energy. "If it did, I wouldn't be able to eventually convince him to give up such violence. I've said it once before and I'll keep saying it, I'm going to take away all the hatred. From everyone. Even that masked lunatic if I can."

Shikamaru couldn't help but smile, this was classic Naruto. "Well, don't go losing that determination while I'm gone, you hear?" He patted him once on the shoulder and then left. _Just in time too, I'm sure she wouldn't even be able to manage a decent conversation if there was a witness… and it'd be really annoying to try and leave at that point._ He smirked as Naruto realized who was walking towards them and forgot entirely about Shikamaru as he left.

"Karin!" Naruto shouted as the red-haired girl approached, waving exuberantly with the energy and enthusiasm of a child.

"H-hey Naruto… fancy seeing you here." she replied with a bit of a blush already forming on her face.

"Just who I wanted to see!" He ran up and hugged her, despite her feeble protests and slight squirming in his grasp before he released her.

"Oh r-r-really? Why'd you wanna see me?" She fumed inside: _This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go! _but it didn't matter, seeing him was making her smile and for all her efforts to ignore it, her stammering was a direct result of thinking about what it might feel like to kiss him again.

Naruto's face darkened slightly as he let her go, "cuz I have something I gotta tell you about. It's not something I can share here though, so can you come back to my place for a bit?"

"Absolutely, I'd be happy to come over." She said, clapping a hand over her mouth and turning to silently mutter dozens of curses for how fast she'd agreed to that. _How desperate are you Karin! Get a hold of yourself! It's way too soon for that! I'm going to his place and we haven't even been on a date yet! Isn't there supposed to be an order to these things?_ She glanced sideways to see Naruto staring at her, perplexed.

"…what're ya doin?" He asked.

"Um," she gestured ineffectively with her hands and half-hearted attempts at an excuse for a few moments before she finally composed herself and replied, "nothing, it's not important. So when should I meet you and where?"

"…I was planning on going back there now… it's already getting dark." His tone was one of curious confusion as he stared at her, that same warm smile slowly spreading across his face. _She's really cute when she's flustered, I wonder why she's trying so hard to fight it…? Oh well, might as well make a good 'argument' for my side._ He grinned as she started to come up with a new excuse for why she couldn't go right away. Without letting her finish, he took her hand in his and said: "C'mon, it's this way."

She blushed brighter at the sudden touch and the way he took charge and started to lead her away. She didn't say a word as he lead her back to his place, her mind racing. _He can't be thinking of 'that' can he? Wait! Why am __**I**__ thinking about 'that'? No! I'm not! It's just a visit! Yeah, that's it, but wow… he's kinda hot when he gets all determined and takes charge like that… but I can't let him control the whole situation! That'd be bad! _she wasn't quite sure why it would be bad though, just like how she had struggled for some bizarre reason she didn't know during their kiss. It was just sort of reflexive and simultaneously inaccurate of how she truly felt. Her heart was pounding in her chest and when they were at the door to his place, she felt like she might faint.

He seemed to remember something that made his smile vanish at his door and added a quick: "Umm, maybe I should clean up a bit first…"

"Huh?" Karin was startled, but laughed it off, "I've seen worse ya know, it can't be that bad." Not wanting to lose the tiny bit of control she'd managed to luckily obtain, she opened his door and charged in ahead of him.

Immediately she kicked… something… out of her way. It might've been an uncooked bag of instant-ramen, or maybe a garbage bag. She wasn't sure and didn't quite want to know. "…I may have been wrong…" she muttered under her breath as he flicked the light next to her as he followed her in.

"Well… its uh… I don't get guests often." Was the best he could respond with.

"Umm…" she stood staring from one mess to another, at a loss as to where she should go.

"Well, the bed's clean and nothing's on it." He innocently suggested, truly unaware of just what implications might be attached to such a suggestion.

…until her face turned bright red to match her hair and she took off her glasses to hurriedly begin polishing them after turning away. Anything to avoid making eye contact and he blushed when he realized what he'd said.

"No no, I don't mean like that, just a seat, really. Yeah." He kept rambling apologetically as he swept up the detritus of his room rapidly, busying himself just like she had. _What the hell was I thinking! _he mentally scolded himself, _You can't take a girl back to your place and then suggest the only place to sit is the bed! That's worse than a line from one of that pervy-sage's novels! She must think the worst of me, she's probably about to storm out of here and I'll be lucky if she ever talks to me agai-…_

He looked up from cleaning space on the floor to get to a chair and then clean it off. His jaw dropped and his mind came to a grinding halt. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, bouncing up and down lightly as if to test it out somehow. "It's not great, but I don't mind, it at least has a home-feel to it." She tried to force a smile to her face as she did, as though the mess wasn't as bad as both of them knew it was.

_What the hell am I doooiinnngg! I just didn't want him to be upset or think I was angry, why did I sit on his bed!_ Karin mind raged even as she forced that smile to her face. "Soo…" she began, but realizing it sounded like she was prompting him for something else, quickly added: "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh… that…" He stopped shuffling around the floor, the question froze him in place. He sat on the spot he'd cleared, not brave enough to go up and sit next to her on the bed. "Well… you know the day Iruka pulled you aside?" he began quietly. _How do I tell her this? I don't even like to think about it, but if I don't tell her that's just not fair. She, more than anyone, needs to know. Play it carefully Naruto, if you upset her you know this won't end well._

"Yeah… they said you were going to the next stage of your training, what about it?" She replied, confused. _What's he talking about? Oh… oh no, this isn't going to be good, something with his training… either the Fox or he has to leave for a bit? No!_ She struggled to remain composed as her mind came to one awful conclusion after the next.

"Well…" he began, taking a deep breath, "yeah. The thing is, I may not survive the next step." _…Wow, good job idiot. You've just led off with the notion that you're going to basically risk killing yourself. I'm sure she'll be delighted and understand_. He mentally cursed and swore that he had started so poorly, but he saw the way both of her hands covered her mouth in a gasp that made it clear just how very upset that made her. He moved up to sit next to her, to try and be comforting but she stood up and moved away from him suddenly as though torn between offended and upset. "No Karin, I don't mean it that way. It's… it's complicated. Please, let me explain it."

She took a few deep breaths and turned away, _I won't let him see me cry!_ "Go on." she choked out, keeping her back to him as she resisted the feeling of her eyes starting to tear up slowly, determinedly keeping them dry.

"Well…" there wasn't any easy way to describe it. He knew he'd have to just start from the beginning and try and encapsulate all the things Bee had told him that Yamato had agreed with. "…I have to voluntarily unseal the Nine-Tailed Fox inside me. I have to fight it, alone, and defeat it to take its chakra as my own. If I don't, it'll eventually eat its way out of me anyways… so to speak." She hadn't turned yet. _Damn, I don't blame her either. I was an idiot, dumping all this on her isn't exactly fair either._ He kept at it anyway, explaining it all to her because he didn't know what else to do: "I'll be doing it far from the village to minimize the damage in case… I fail. I won't though! I promise! I've got this under control. I would've already undertaken this part of it, but I made them agree to one condition before I did."

She turned, confused, and tapped a foot that made it clear she wanted him to continue. When he didn't elaborate, she finally asked, "What condition?"

"The condition was that I get to tell one person. It's a very large secret and they'll be doing it behind a barrier so that when the chakra of the Nine-Tails is active Madara won't be able to detect it." He replied, unable to look directly at her face, a blush slowly creeping up on his cheeks.

"I don't get what that has to…" she began, but suddenly she understood and placed a hand gently over her mouth to stifle the little noises of both appreciation and endearment that suddenly overwhelmed her. _He knew… he knew if I couldn't sense him anywhere I'd be worried… he told me so that when I couldn't find him I'd know where he was…_ she felt herself tearing up and didn't try to fight it this time, a single tear rolled down her cheek with others quickly following it.

"Oh no no, don't cry Karin!" he had finally looked up and picked that exact moment to see her face. She shook her head as though to try and dismiss it but he didn't let up. He moved towards her and drew her into a hug that she didn't even attempt to fight. "I'm sorry, if you could be there I'd want that instead, but it is really too dangerous and I don't think I could live with myself if I hurt you." He paused and then gave a weak chuckle, "But I don't suppose I'd have to do much of the 'living with it' if I failed huh?"

One hard punch on the chest later and Naruto realized making jokes about dying with an emotional girl who is concerned about you is not the best idea. She folded her arms in a huff while turning away from him, but he didn't give her too long before he wrapped his arms around her again, this time from behind. "I'm sorry Karin…" he tried to apologize gently.

"You owe me." she curtly replied, desperately trying to not sound as upset as she felt.

"Huh? Owe you what?" he blinked a few times in surprise, _What's she talking about?_

"One real date. After you subdue the Nine-Tails inside you. Somewhere nice too!" She didn't turn to look at him while she said it.

"…I promise we'll do something fun after this." He squeezed gently and felt her relax a bit in his embrace. "There's no way I'd let something bad happen." He smiled and leaned a bit towards her, kissing the back of her head gently and taking a deep comforting breath of the sweet smell around her. He felt her start to wriggle in protest as she frequently did, and decided to loosen his grip. _If she's upset I won't hold her when she doesn't want-_ he was cut off when she used the opening to turn and face him, not leave his arms. She put her arms slowly up around his neck, pulled him in closer slowly.

"Just… come back the same alright?" She blushed as she looked at him, their faces were so close, she could practically feel his lips against hers already. The tips of their noses nearly brushing against one another.

"For you, I definitely will." He replied, and then both of them were unable to resist the allure of the other for a moment longer and closed that last tiny gap between them. He pressed his lips against hers even as she tightened her grip to pull him in for the same thing. The kiss lasted over a minute as neither felt like anything else mattered. They stood in each other's embrace and the rest of the world stopped mattering for as long as they held the other in their arms.

Slowly she pulled back from him and he let her go, though it pained him to do so. She threaded her fingers together behind her back and slowly stepped backwards, moving to leave with her eyes cast downward and her face flushed. With careful, almost dancing motions, she made her way through the mess to his door with neither of them saying a word. She paused at the door, nervously chewing her lower lip as she realized how close they'd come to going a bit farther in their burgeoning relationship. _I can't have been the only one who felt that I wanted more…_ she swayed gently at the door as though giddy, but slowly sobered up when she opened it and felt the cool night air. _I didn't realize how hot it was in here… or… no… that's probably not the room._ She turned, a more serious look on her face. "Remember… you promised."

He nodded, still lost in the sensations he'd felt while kissing her. _She must've known I wanted more and been a bit intimidated… but… no, this wasn't the right time for that. She's right._ He watched her bob back and forth as she elegantly left his home. When she reminded him he could only nod and return an 'mmm' of agreement. After the door clicked shut, he sighed audibly and surveyed his room. "Okay, time to clean all this mess up. One: never letting her come over while this place is so filthy again. Two: it'll distract me from what I'm thinking about…"

Outside the apartment, Karin leaned against a wall, a hand over her heart to try and stop its pounding. Slowly she clenched her hand into a fist, her mind made up. "If Naruto is going to face this much danger to be the best he can, then I can do it too. I'll tell Iruka first thing tomorrow, no more avoiding it." She nodded and walked back to her room, realizing as she got there just how short a distance away from Naruto she was living and not by accident. The thought normally would've made her furious at being so easily predictable, but tonight it only made her smile and whisper to herself: "Thanks Iruka."

]][[

"I wonder how Sakura is doing?" was the question that had started it all. Shizune had told Tsunade the plan and, while dubious of how much it'd help, she had agreed it might be for the best. Unfortunately, after half a week, she hadn't seen or heard anything about Sakura. The girl seemed to have vanished entirely and it had the Hokage worried. Being unable to answer that one question had resulted in being ordered to investigate the pink-haired youth. As troubled as she had been, Sakura was deemed a 'risk' to herself and her 'vacation' had already raised quite a few eyebrows in suspicion towards her. Despite her protests that they should 'have faith' in Sakura and let her have her alone time without suspicion, Tsunade reluctantly agreed to the pressure that someone needed to check up on the girl.

Shizune had volunteered, so here she stood, outside of her house at night, with the lights off. It was too early though, _Maybe she's out somewhere? But someone would've seen her… nothing for it. I've got to check inside._ She tried the door but the knob didn't budge. _Sorry Sakura!_ she kept repeating in her head as she quickly picked the lock and let herself in. The house was dark and still, but she could see there was a light upstairs that was on. She stepped up quietly and carefully, slowly she got to the room and peered in through the door, nudging it ajar very slightly to give her a better view.

No one was inside and she didn't hear any movement at all from the entire house so she eased inside gently. It was Sakura's room, though it looked mostly stripped bare of essentials. Only decorations and other things remained up. She was perplexed for a moment until she saw the mostly-prepared travel-pack lying on her bed. "What…? What is going on here? Is she going somewhere?" Shizune muttered in her confusion.

"Shizune?" She heard a voice behind her, it was trying to express surprise, but it wasn't convincing.

She rounded on the sudden voice and saw Sakura standing in the doorway. _How'd she sneak up on me like that? _Although she already knew the answer, Sakura was expecting someone, she just hadn't known who. "What's all this Sakura?"

"I'm going to take a short vacation, you cleared it already. Remember?" Sakura said, though there was no mirth or friendliness in her voice. Her face conveyed nothing of the appropriate emotion either. It was a poor act and both of them knew it.

"This isn't a vacation… you're leaving… why? Don't do it… we can help with whatever it is…" Shizune pleaded but Sakura only shook her head.

"You've made it clear you can't. This is the only answer left." Sakura suddenly flew across the room with a blinding speed that caught Shizune off guard as she was about to reply. With one deft blow, Shizune's consciousness left her. Sakura gently lowered the collapsing woman to the floor even as she whispered: "Shizune… Thank you…" almost exactly in the same manner that Sasuke had once said them to her. The thought actually made her smile despite the tempest of negative emotions that she felt about the decision she was now overwhelmingly committed to.

]][[

Sakura stood overlooking the village, all the things she needed with her and her forehead protector clutched in one hand instead of being worn. "Is this…" she mused quietly, "…what Sasuke saw when he left? It's pretty… but… it looks like a prison to me now. Maybe that's what he saw too." She again felt comforted by the knowledge of walking a path that would take her closer to Sasuke for once, instead of farther away like everything she'd done for the past three years seemed to have. She smiled, her determination renewed, and turned her back on Konoha, dashing into the woods.

]][[

She kept a decent speed for nearly half the night, the sun starting to emerge from the horizon and paint the trees with a golden glow before she finally slowed down. She'd precisely struck Shizune to keep her knocked out for nearly a day, but that wouldn't stop people from looking for her and then Sakura by extension. _I should be far enough away by now to take a bit of a break though…_ she had been following a river for a while to occasionally wash her scent off so she couldn't be tracked that way.

A few hours more and she finally came to a pair of monuments that she'd only heard and read about. "The Valley of the End…" she muttered aloud to herself. The waterfall splashed merrily, but she ignored it for the moment, staring at the two opposing carved statues. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha's worn visages in the stone almost reminded Sakura of Naruto and Sasuke. _Does that make me the meaningless as the water between them? No! I refuse to be useless and to just bear witness! _She sat down to rest on a shaded rock near the river, staring down over the cliff and waterfall the statues overlooked. _But… _she held up the forehead protector with the leaf symbol on it. She hadn't worn it since she'd left, but its weight felt heavier than normal no matter where she put it. _Is this right? I've never felt so alone as I do now… maybe this isn't right at all. I… wait, what's that?_

Her head jerked up and she looked around intently, something tickling at her hearing. It took her a few more moments to realize exactly what it was. _Music? From where… it sounds so quiet, but it has to be close… wait, maybe…_ She stood and peered down over the waterfall, but saw nothing in the mist at the bottom. The noise got louder, however, so she slowly climbed down to the bottom. _That's odd… it is the same as it was at the top. Maybe?_ She looked at the waterfall from the bottom and saw a slight glimmer in the sheets of water. _There's a depression behind the waterfall! Someone must be in there…_ Sakura's curiosity, or maybe her desire to not be as alone anymore, compelled her to climb back up and jump through the water.

She landed in a bowl-shaped depression behind the waterfall, slightly disoriented from being pummeled by the falling water and landing on the uneven surface. _Huh?_ She looked around at the half-circle gouged into the rock nearly perfectly in its smoothness. "What could've caused this?" she whispered to herself so quietly that she barely even vocalized it. She finally remembered she wasn't alone when she saw a lump of black robes sitting at the far end, facing the wall and softly playing a woodwind instrument. The melody of it was utterly haunting and the small chamber they were in with the splashing water behind it only seemed to compliment it. She stared entranced at the lumpy-robed figure that apparently hadn't noticed her. Nearly a minute passed of Sakura simply standing there listening as water dripped off of her.

Finally, the music stopped, leaving the waterfall noises almost depressingly without accompaniment. Sakura opened her mouth to ask the figure to keep playing before she caught herself. _Was that… a genjutsu? It was so subtle. I didn't even feel a thing, but it was hypnotic… I should probably just lea-_

"Did you like it?" a very elegant, almost song-like, female voice asked.

Sakura was startled, "How did you know I was here?" she felt suddenly very alone and fell into a defensive posture, ready for an attack. _I'm being paranoid, if this woman knew I was here she could've attacked while I was entranced, she wouldn't fight now…_

"I could hear you. You messed up the sound slightly." The figure replied as though lecturing a toddler. Sakura could scarcely believe that, they were nearly shouting at each other to be heard over the waterfall just outside anyways. "And to answer your question, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto created this. I'm not sure how. Probably with two techniques clashing into each other. It's perfect for practicing though and hardly noticeable. You must have good ears to have heard me on the other side… but you didn't answer my question."

Sakura was stunned at the revelation. _I knew Sasuke and Naruto fought each other here, but I never imagined they were this strong even then…_ she stared around at the small chamber with new amazement, finally remembering the question she'd been asked. The figure had waited patiently without even turning around. "Well, I liked it. I think it was a lovely piece, though you seemed to be trying to use some kind of hypnosis with it…" She finally replied.

The robed figure chuckled, a girlish laugh that carried an intense scorn in it. "That was only a warm-up. Shows what you fucking know, thinking a god-damned warm-up is 'lovely'. Hah." Sakura visibly winced under the sudden profanity but kept her composure.

"I'm no music-expert and I'm having a bad day, excuse me for appreciating your music." Sakura felt strangely offended by the other's tone. _Why is it bothering me so much to be 'wrong' over something like that? I'm not even wrong! It did sound nice!_

"A bad day? A fucking bad day? Really? I thought from your voice that you were older than ten. How god-damned old are you?" Sakura, already offended and now getting irritated at being mocked fell into a combat ready stance. Without turning, the figure continued. "I'd advise against it, dumbass. A useless piece of shit like you isn't even worth my time."

Sakura tied on her forehead protector as an open threat to make it clear to the other she wasn't some random girl. "Oh yeah? Let's see what you've got!"

The figure turned slightly, but Sakura couldn't see anything under the hood of the robes still. "A leaf? Alright! What a lucky day! I never pass up a chance to punish you fuckers for last time. Getting to do it to a snot-nosed little shit like you will only make it sweeter." The figure finally stood, shedding the robes in one go. Sakura was taken aback by the figure. The first thing she saw was a length of wild red hair that fell just past the girl's shoulders. Which, Sakura started to feel her confidence fail her when she saw that black Jounin vest the hair had drawn her eyes to. _Black? That almost looks like…_ the figure turned and Sakura saw a forehead protector tied around the woman's neck. It had a single musical note on it. _It is! She's a sound ninja! I thought they were all wiped out with Orochimaru destroyed… _Her gaze was drawn back up to the girl's face, a shock of that red hair between her eyes. Those eyes stood out to Sakura immediately and daunted her further. They were sharp, piercing, and utterly haughty. Sakura almost felt like she was being speared by her gaze and yet felt as though the other woman was simply staring through her. Eyeing her with all the scorn someone would use on an unwanted vermin in their home.

"Hah! I'm being threatened by a Sound flunkie? Have you been hiding here since your master died?" Sakura felt good being able to throw some scorn back at the figure that had been relentlessly insulting her so far. It bolstered her courage slightly too, which was quickly draining away at the moment.

"Hehe… Hahaahaa! You think I'm some Sound flunkie Orochimaru didn't remember or care about?" The woman laughed her same haughty, scathing laugh, but there was at least a tiny bit of respect in it. "Part right, so credit to the runty little bitch in front of me for being able to recognize the symbol. Unfortunately… I'm not gonna tolerate that kind of disrespect you fuckin' pig. Show some god-damned respect you chicken-shit, you're talking to the Nidaime Otokage."

Sakura barely had a moment to react and unfortunately chose to widen her eyes in surprise instead of defend herself. Moments later she was falling towards the river at the bottom of the waterfall having been sent flying from a blindingly fast kick. She gritted her teeth, righted in mid-air and landed skidding across the surface of the water as she used her chakra-control to stand on it. The red-haired girl jumped out after her and landed easily on the water, she bent as though to bow and produced a metal flute from the vest placing it slowly to her lips and blowing a note.

Sakura quickly readied her chakra against a genjutsu attack, keeping it from fluctuating due to outside interference. Within seconds the music began and Sakura felt her senses start to clamp down tightly. First her vision darkened and her sense of balance began to distort. _What the hell! It's so strong! I can barely fight it off! I need to get that flute away from her!_ Sakura charged towards the girl even as she attempted to compensate for the strength of the illusion technique. She lashed out with kicks and punches ineffectively, the other girl swaying and falling back with every attack, never even getting grazed. _How can she have no openings while her hands are occupied? _Sakura started to panic slightly, _Maybe she really is as strong as she lets on… no wait!_ She suddenly swung out with a low kick, and when the other girl dodged, followed through with the kick anyway.

A sudden explosion of water from where she kicked the surface with a chakra-empowered foot sent enormous waves running across the surface. Sakura smirked when her opponent jumped into the air to avoid being submerged and lose her technique. She lunged upwards with a punch, shouting: "Got you!" in triumph. The other girl's eyebrows raised in surprise… and then her entire face lit up with joy as Sakura committed to the attack. In one motion the red-haired woman kicked Sakura's wrist by swinging a foot around and then flicked another kick with her other leg out into Sakura's shoulder that sent the pink-haired girl splashing into the water.

Sakura cursed herself as she swam back towards the surface. _Dammit, I should've known that she'd practice her footwork to compensate. That was careless of me. Oh well, at least being underwater muffled the song enough to give me a bit of a break. I think I've got the hang of resisting it too…_ she broke the surface of the water… and felt like she'd plunged her head back in. The song had changed, everything she was built up to resist was completely different now. She staggered and lurched to her feet, nauseous suddenly as she desperately fought off the compulsions of this new genjutsu. _Dammit, she can just alter them on the fly like that! It's impossible to resist it without knowing them all. I've gotta get that flute!_ Sakura shook her head and shouted loudly to disrupt the noise long enough to resist it as her hands shot up to the side of her head.

It was a mistake, in that exact moment her opponent closed the distance and kicked her squarely in the chest. Sakura skidded until she landed on the shore. She was gasping for breath and couldn't stand from the effects of the music. Suddenly it changed again with a flourish and she felt her whole body lock-up, the muscles seizing up and staying that way. She screamed in pain when the music suddenly stopped. A foot stepped on her chest and she opened her eyes as it pressed down heavily, pinning her. "This little bitch is a fuckin' leaf ninja too? What the hell! Every last one of you is the fucking same! Pathetic little chicken-shits that can't solve any of their own problems alone!"

Sakura grunted in pain. _One last shot… _she thought as she suddenly forced her chakra into her hands, all she had left. She slammed one hand into the ground to crack it and unbalance the cruel woman above her. The other hand came up to punch the falling woman with enough force to shatter an oak into splinters. Her opponent showed only a moment's surprise before she spun in mid-air, striking Sakura's hand with her flute to gain enough distance to pirouette out of the way of the punch. Sakura fell back into the rubble she'd created, exhausted. _I've failed… again… guess this is a fitting end for me. If only I could've gotten stronger…_

"Hahaha! Look at the fire in you! You certainly don't seem to give up until you've got nothing left, but that's your god-damned problem! You gave up!" The other girl stepped over casually, sitting down near Sakura's head and pulling the forehead protector off of it. "So what's the deal chicken-shit? Why did a useless bitch like you run away from the Leaf? Lose your mommy and daddy when Akatsuki blew the fuck outta your target-of-a-town?"

Sakura muttered something inaudible, only mouthing the words in reply as she stared at the clouds in the sky, unable to move from exertion and the blows she'd taken in the fight. The genjutsu's effects still lingered in her as well.

"Did you have some fucking retarded romance with a rival ninja? Some forbidden love bullshit?"

Sakura responded the same way.

"Oh oh, I know, maybe you're just so fucking stupid you thought you could join Akatsuki and be 'cool' or something!"

Sakura responded the same way.

"Eh? Did I break you that badly already chicken-shit? Speak the fuck up dammit."

Sakura started to reply the same way again, but this time finally voiced her response: "I don't… know…"

"Huh?"

"I don't know… it was stupid to run away. I'm not even good enough to keep being a ninja at all."

"I see…" the sound ninja stood up slowly and pulled a kunai from her vest and held up Sakura's forehead protector so the pink-haired girl could see it directly above her. There was a sudden screech of protesting metal as the other woman slashed the forehead protector deftly in one blow. "There," she dropped the damaged forehead protector on Sakura, "now you can actually suffer some fucking consequences. It's obviously something you've never had to god-damned deal with before."

Sakura's eyes didn't even flinch as the fabric fell over her face. She stared wide-eyed. _She just… I'm a missing-nin now… what did she… why did she do that…! I can't go back!_

The other woman laughed. "Of course, you can still crawl back to your cuddly fuckin Leaf and beg it to take you back. I'm sure they have a nice jail cell ready for a traitorous bitch like you, if they don't just kill you. That's what you want isn't it? A nice little cell to hide in and blame your damn troubles on right?"

Sakura blinked once. _Why… why… why… why does it feel better? _She turned to look at the scorn-filled smile of the other woman without getting up. _She… took away the choice. I didn't have to make a choice about myself. She put me on another path and didn't give me an option to 'doubt'. _A sudden cough interrupted her thoughts, a bit of blood trickling past her lip. She turned to spit it out and slowly turned to drag herself up to her hands and knees. Everything hurt, but for once her head was clear. "What would you have me do instead…?" she asked, unsure of why she was asking, but wanting more of this same 'freedom' she felt. "There has to be a reason I'm not dead yet…"

The other figure laughed loudly, "Would you fuckin look at that! Put a leash on a wild lost dog and look how docile it gets! Like a god-damned puppy that found a master to pet it again! Being out here all alone was scary huh little doggie?" Sakura winced slightly under the scathing insults, but couldn't help feel that they were partially accurate. "But hey, you're part right again, score two points for the brain-dead idiot. I guess there's some hope left for you, ya wretched, lost little shit. You want to know why you're still alive though? I'll tell you: Orochimaru is dead."

Sakura stayed on her knees, still leaned forward as she pulled what little energy she had recovered lying still into healing herself. The kicks had definitely done internal damage. _Of course Orochimaru is dead… what does that have to do with anything? _Sakura thought, but the other woman continued, undaunted by Sakura's obvious confusion.

"He's gone for good. Ya know what that means? The Sound isn't his anymore. It got entirely destroyed without him orchestrating it though. All but one of us. Any other survivors don't fucking matter. They've got to all be weak-as-hell chicken-shits that aren't worth the skin on their bastard, father-fucking hides." Sakura winced again at the other's vulgarity, but was starting to understand. "So I'm taking it over. Or rather, already have. I was one of the strongest of the Sound and three years ago I was left for dead, Orochimaru was so distracted he never looked into it. I took that time to recover and train myself up. But why the fuck am I giving you a damn history lesson? That shit is irrelevant." She put her flute away at last and motioned widely. "The Sound is mine now! What little of it there is left, but I'm going to rebuild it. That's where you come in. Figure it out yet, bitch?" She squatted down and put her hand under Sakura's chin and dragged her face up to only a few inches away from her own.

Sakura grit her teeth in pain from being yanked around, but it still felt somehow 'right'. "I figured it out damn you! Let me go!" She tried to jerk her head back but the grip was vice-tight.

"No. Don't you fucking give me orders if you understand the only reason you're alive." The other woman put a very serious emphasis on 'only reason' for Sakura's benefit. "Now answer the question. Come on bitch, speak." She said it the same way she would to a dog.

"You want me to join you!" was forced out of Sakura before she could consider the humiliating side of it.

"Good girl. That's right. I want you to become a Sound ninja under my command. You'd be the first. Not because you're any good, fuck no, but because you're the first I've found that seems worth the effort since I've gotten positive proof Orochimaru is dead." The woman let her go and stood back up. "So what do you say, do you want to serve me you god-damned lost dog, or do you want me to put you down like the fuckin' stray you are?"

Sakura considered it. Any other time she probably would've preferred to die. _It is better to die than endure this humiliation_ she thought, but another voice crept into her mind. _But it feels good… we're not responsible anymore. We have an out! And think, if she's this strong, she can make us stronger and we don't have to decide anything while she does! _Sakura felt split. Part of her wanted to remain independent, but the rest of her hated it. She hated being alone. She hated not having someone to rely on anymore. _First Sasuke leaves, then Naruto gets so strong I'm just a hindrance, then Tsunade won't help me get stronger… _she felt tears building up at the thought. She shook them away and made up her mind. _I can't do anything if I'm dead… and… well… let's just see where this goes. Maybe…_ She looked up at the confidently standing figure of the other and replied at last: "I'll serve, but you have to train me to be stronger. Strong enough to accomplish what I want."

"No." the other responded without a second lost.

"What?" Sakura was dumbfounded by the suddenness of it.

"I said 'no' you deaf whore. What the fuck do you think it means?"

"Wha-?"

"Listen to me, I'll do with you as I fuckin like. Get it? You don't get to pick what happens. You don't get to set conditions. You get to serve or you get to die, get your body stripped, and your naked corpse left out to be god-damned carrion." She was deadly serious and that stare was back again. The one that promised not one word was a bluff.

Sakura felt cowed as she saw it. _What…? _Another strange feeling built up in her, a strange relief like before._ Why does it feel good? Why do I feel relief at that? Is it… is it because I need someone who wouldn't put up with me? _Sakura was perplexed, but that gaze, she found it challenging and reassuring at the same time. "I'd say… I'm Haruno Sakura… a ninja of the Hidden Sound."

"Great! Here I thought I'd have to actually fuckin' murder you like a pig." The other woman snatched the scratched forehead protector out of Sakura's hand to throw it into the river. "I'll get you one of those damn things that's actually appropriate."

"I understand, Otokage."

The woman yanked Sakura to her feet roughly and dusted her shoulders off before slapping her roughly without flinching. Sakura staggered backwards holding her cheek with her hand. The other's stern glare kept her from crying out in protest. "None of that. I don't need anyone knowing that about me just from hearing you fuckin' barking your joy. Follow me, we're going to your new home o' leashed bitch."

Sakura glared angrily again at the degradation, but responded, "Yeah…" with an awkward pause for not knowing what to call the woman.

As if sensing the question, she turned and added, "call me Tayuya."

]][[

Karin proudly announced: "He's ready, the darkness is entirely subdued." The others nodded their approval and Naruto bowed to her in gratitude. She'd been called out to confirm it one last time before Naruto began his next training step.

Naruto turned to the others, "It was easy to master it thanks to her help. Bee, you didn't tell me it helps having someone you-" he started to ramble his praise but Karin stomped his foot to interrupt him. "Oww! What the hell!" He hopped around as he cradled his now-aching foot.

Karin shrugged, "I slipped." _Thank God! He was about to start talking about 'us' in front of Iruka, Yamato, and Bee! It would've been bad enough with just Iruka!_ She sighed her relief as Iruka motioned for her to come with him as the others went in the direction of a secluded training ground. Karin knew why and it caused her to break out in a cold sweat. _This… this might be the last time I see him. No! _she shook her head and straightened her glasses. _He's stronger than that. He won't lose._ She nodded in approval at her own thoughts until she saw Iruka staring at her with a grin on his face.

One solid punch in the arm later and his grin hadn't faded but he kept it under control enough to walk with her. "You're at the limit of what I can teach you. You've pretty much outgrown me already. When we first fought, your taijutsu was awful but now you pretty much beat me every time." She nodded, not quite sure what he was getting at, especially in relation to her agreeing to utilize her hidden talents. "So we've got a new instructor for you." He said with a large smile.

"Who…?" she looked around and from behind one of the trees stepped a masked man with silver hair with his face buried in a novel. "Him?" She stared confusedly at the man she knew was the one who'd fought Sasuke before. "Wait… you have the Sharingan! You're uh… uh…" she stumbled for the name as she frantically straightened her glasses to get a better look at him.

He lowered the book and closed it, pocketing it in his vest, she saw the cover was that of an adult novel and groaned internally. _Is everyone in Konoha eccentric in some way?_ she shook it off as he waved. "Hatake Kakashi." He smiled, though it was more easily discernable from the one eye she could see than his face. Somehow though, that one part of his face conveyed all the warmth of a smile to her. His eye widened slightly as if remembering something. "Oh, and Iruka told me it was important to tell you that I know Naruto pretty well too."

Karin rounded on her now-former-trainer with a furious barrage that made Kakashi chuckle even as Iruka valiantly and half-heartedly tried to defend himself from the well-earned blows. Eventually she stopped, panting, "Sorry. I'm. Karin. Nice. To. Meet. You."

Kakashi laughed, "So what's up? Why do I need to be here specifically Iruka? Aside from the Naruto thing."

Karin glared at Iruka as he slowly dragged himself off the ground. "Well, it's about her ability. Sharingan out, you gotta 'see' this to believe it." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the emphasis Iruka placed on 'see' but complied anyway, removing the sash and revealing the scar and the special eye behind it. Iruka nodded and handed Karin a piece of paper. She concentrated briefly for a moment and then held up the now-damp piece of paper.

"Water transformation? That's a useful technique, so why does that-" Kakashi began but Iruka held up a hand to silence him. As he handed Karin a second piece of paper, and again she concentrated and then spilled out a handful of ash. "Oh my, and fire? Have you already trained with both? That's not easy to do but I-" Iruka held up his hand again and gave Karin a third piece. Kakashi watched it in silence _Is she going to demonstrate the Boil Release? That's a pretty powerful technique. No wonder she kept it sec-…_ she'd held up a wrinkled paper. "Lightning?" He began, and Iruka nodded.

"She can control three different types of nature transformation though she's not great at using any of them in particular yet." Iruka replied.

"That's kind of like the Mizukage, Mei Terumi." Kakashi noted.

"That's not all…" Karin nearly whispered, looking around uncertainly.

"It's okay, there's no one more trustworthy than Kakashi. Naruto would vouch for that if he were here." Iruka encouraged her.

"Okay… here goes." She replied and pressed the paper between her hands.

Kakashi concentrated and fully activated his Sharingan to watch closely with its enhanced vision. _What bloodline limit does she have? Water, Fire, and Lightning transformation can make a lot of very powerful combinations… maybe she-wait. What?_ Kakashi stared in confusion. He had been thinking for nearly a minute while she concentrated longer than before. This time however, nothing seemed to have happened and the paper was simply gone. "Wha? What happened to it?" _It can't be a space-time jutsu! That's entirely different than nature transformation! What did she just do?_ Kakashi was baffled until Iruka nodded to her.

"Show him." Iruka encouraged.

Karin walked closer to Kakashi and grabbed his hand to pull it up. Stunned as he was he didn't even try to resist. She slowly put something into his hand, but he didn't know what it was. He felt its weight and texture, but he couldn't see it at all. "Is that the chakra paper?" He asked, staring in disbelief.

Iruka nodded, "Yeah."

"What kind of ability did that?" Kakashi replied, unable to take his eyes off the nothing in his hand.

"Bloodline Expansion." Iruka stated matter-of-factly, even after all this time it still rattled him to acknowledge it.

"Expansion… like the Tsuchikage… I've never even heard of anyone having that… so it's…?" He stared in outright disbelief at the girl in front of him.

She slowly straightened her glasses before replying: "Light transformation."

Iruka clarified to the dumbfounded Kakashi: "It's her sensory technique, she always played it off as being purely a detection thing, but it's actually an extension of her Bloodline Expansion ability. She can hide her own chakra that way but never used it past that so Orochimaru wouldn't possess her."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "I couldn't even see it with the Sharingan. I'd have to watch her muscles to know she was even holding something and even that would make it extremely tough to tell just what it was." Kakashi rubbed his hands together nervously, "that's quite an ability. Bloodline Expansions are on par with space/time manipulation in a lot of ways. I realize why I need to be involved now." He motioned to his Sharingan. _It'll be tricky to keep up with her even with this. I have to be careful with this or we'll both wind up severely hurting each other._ "Alright, Karin, let's start some advanced training. Iruka, stick around, I might need to expand off some of what you're doing or fill in gaps you've left out."

"Of course." the other man nodded.

Karin stared in the direction Naruto had walked. _Next time we see each other, how much stronger will we both be? I wonder if we can both accomplish your dream then… I promise I'll help. I won't let you do it all alone anymore._ She smiled and turned back to Kakashi, "Let's start, I'm ready to show you what I can really do."

]][[

Elsewhere, Naruto sat in quiet meditation. It was beginning soon and Yamato and Bee continually exchanged nervous glances. Yamato had stopped talking but started to slowly concentrate his abilities to establish several ready-to-use wood suppression techniques. Bee remained as unreadable as ever, though even his rapping had stopped after his final advice to Naruto. He sat opposite him now with their fists touched in a 'fist bump' that Bee had assured them both would be extraordinarily helpful. Slowly, Yamato watched the battle for Naruto's future begin as the chakra-cloak and first tail of the fox appeared. "Don't let him win Naruto." He muttered as he concentrated and readied his techniques. He kept them back, Bee had told him to only attempt to intervene if Naruto's chakra cloak 'darkened' or if Bee himself said so. He hoped he would not have to see what the first thing meant before this was over.

]][[

Sand blew across the carved-buildings. The weather here was always like this except on extraordinarily still days. "I hate this place." Shikamaru complained.

"Stuff it you whiner." The blonde girl sitting opposite him in the main hall snapped. "If you give it a while it grows on you. Besides, it's the quiet and still nights that are what really make it appealing. You'll see."

"Temari…" he began, once again attempting to appeal to her that she should just give up convincing him of something he felt was impossible.

"Oh go be a buzz kill somewhere else." She let out a frustrated huff and closed her eyes, pointedly ignoring him.

_Women can be such a bother. I can't even get comfortable here either. I wonder how Hinata's doing? _As always his mind raced on and on through his thoughts. He had gone in to see the Kazekage, delivered his message about what was going on, and then had left. Gaara had seemed interested in Naruto, but he had quickly passed that responsibility off on Hinata. _Sorry, I don't want to spend three hours explaining all the trouble that guy has gotten into. That's practically enough trouble on its own anyway._ Still, he wondered if she was at least getting along well with him. Gaara was a very unusual person, and on the best of days very far from normal. _Oh well, sure she's fine…_ he thought and then for the thousandth time since he'd arrived, he leaned back and tried to get comfortable.

Inside the room at the end of the hall, a very different conversation was going on. Gaara sat at a large desk and opposite that, Hinata sat, still in her Konoha ninja attire. "So he's at least doing well then?" Gaara inquired after another one of the long uncomfortable pauses that didn't seem to bother him.

"He's doing great actually, I think he's really going to have the Nine-Tails under control soon." Hinata replied cheerily, trying to fill in enough emotion for the two of them since Gaara was largely unresponsive on that front.

"Hmm… I wonder if Shukaku could be handled similarly…" he mused aloud.

"I don't know, but I think… if anyone could do it, you probably could." She seemed to think it over heavily before nodding and saying the last part.

His eyes widened in surprise and he stared fully at her. "What do you mean by that?" He asked directly.

"Well, it's just… you're a lot like him." She replied, a little unsure whether she'd offended him or piqued his interest.

"That's quite a compliment." He replied and she breathed a sigh of relief at what was apparently his approval.

"I'd say so, yes. You and he share a lot of circumstances and you're both very determined… though you're a little more realistic than he is I think." She again paused to think about it as she said it, adding that afterthought slowly.

"I sometimes wish I weren't." He said, seeing the surprise on her face as he spoke. "He can do anything he puts his mind to really… people can really rely on him."

Hinata smiled warmly, "It's funny… I've heard the same about you since I got here." Gaara turned and again regarded her in surprise but didn't respond. He looked lost in his thoughts again. _He's trying so hard…_ she thought with a hand over her mouth to politely hide the tiny giggle, _and it reminds me of me… kind of. He had no one else to really model himself on and then Naruto changed it all. I'm happy I got assigned here. This was someone I think I needed to meet._ She smiled warmly at him again and gave him a nod of encouragement for nothing in particular. Gaara raised an eyebrow and slowly, very slowly, formed a smile of his own as a first effort to show her in response.

]][[

_Inner powers are awakening and being tapped, but who can tame the Beasts Within! _

]][[

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.5/END


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:**

So imagine my surprise that this update would take longer than any preceding it! I'm not going to blame anything (though lots of stuff happened including everything from lost save files to power-outtages), it's mostly my fault regardless. If you want the super-short version? I fell in love super hard. The ensuing drama consumed just about every bit of time between now and the last update. If you wanna know how it resolved? I got rejected. For those of you still reading this fanfiction, I hope this chapter is worth the wait and honestly apologize if it feels disjointed or lackluster as it took me so tanj long to make it. I imagine I could rant a bit longer... but eh, not so much to say this time because well, things went bad and now they're back to "Ok" but I'm still just not pleased with how the whole thing turned out. What's happened, happened, however. So in the long run I'll live.

So, I had hoped to have this up as Christmas Present... and then as a New Years thing... but wow, talk about every force in the universe conspiring against it! New Years Resolution #1: Update more regularly. Enjoy the comment responses and the chapter! In the meantime, I won't say: "The next chapter should be up much sooner" because we all saw how that worked out last time, huh?

**End Author's Notes**

Comment Responses:

Lord-Maiku: Heh, I'm hearing a lot of that about people who never even considered that pairing suddenly being interested. I'm glad I could give you something new and refreshing. ...and yes, it is partially my goal to be in the 'best' category of any type of story I write! ;D

Grayfox1991: I wanted to draw a lot of similarities between Sakura and Sasuke to show that despite her efforts to repress it, it still eats her up inside. Hopefully this chapter helps draw you in even more!

Naruto Warpaint: Something important to note about if I do an FFXI fic, it'll largely be a transcription of the game's plot. Not really a new story. As far as the relationship business, well yeah! I'm right with you, what's the point of having a relationship fic where you skip the difficulties and the awkwardness? I might as well have the first three sentences of my fic read "Happily Ever After" at that point, so I'm glad to see someone who likes it too! I was worried people were gonna get mad at the pacing so I'm happy to see the reverse of that.

Last of the Ancients: All I can say, with a mischevious grin on my face, would be: "When did I say the Kyubi would be female and Naruto would be male?" in regards to the idea for the potential fic. In addition to that, I will say that seeing only one vote towards it, I regret to say I likely won't be doing another Naruto fic again anytime soon, it may happen sometime muuuch later down the line, but for now, nah... Although you can bug Nezumi0505, I have been pestering her about an idea that she was interested in seeing written. Maybe she'll write it!

OmegaHurricane: Hey, appreciation is always great to hear and I'm honestly happy I could make your week and maybe even your month! I apologize for not delivering another month of glee during July or September though, hopefully this makes up for it!

AznPuffyHair: I honestly am trying to hit a lot of characters that the mangaka himself has more or less ignored in favor of random asides and etc. As far as ultimate plans? I assure you I have a great many and I hope you stick around to see most of them play out!

Anttolas: Not that it's really the same kind of Tayuya, or that it has even updated in a while, but there is a link under stories I've favorited towards a decent Tayuya fic even by my high standards.

The_Black_Crow: Don't worry, her abilities (all of them) will be used! Also, thanks for the concern, that trip really drained the hell outta me and I'm glad I don't have to do anything like that again for a while.

Beserkians Fury: Hopefully it winds up being a thing you're okay with! I'd hate to have gotten your hopes up only to let them down now!

sunwraith: Heh, I know what you mean as far as her still looking like a coward. Honestly I more-or-less hated her character in the canon, so I decided to put a spin on it that really makes her more interesting, even if more unstable. As for her running away... well, that may soon reach its head and I hope you enjoy what becomes of it! Lastly, thanks for the support regardless of what series I do. I hope to have you as a continued reader when I reach that point!

ShadowWolf Zero: As said before, rushing a relationship defeats the purpose for showing it in my mind, if you're going to rush, just say they lived happily ever after and be done with it. So I'm glad I have a lot of support for that. As far as already thinking about another story, well, it's not like I'm getting distracted or anything, rather I'm prolific as hell and was just throwing out some early feelers on what people want or don't want. But, I appreciate the empathy so thanks.

NeilHighwind: With the way most Jutsus are reverse-explained to be certain elements of things like Yin or Yang element-based and etc., I figured it'd make sense to be able to extrapolate Karin's ability as something specific. In addition to that, I really wanted to give her something that'd keep her relevant later on in the story. She's supposed to be a ninja too, so why leave her weak (like Ten-Ten) and make her just a crying girl on the sidelines? The less characters that exist without purpose, the better a story is.

Nezumi0505: Responding to all this would be pretty difficult, so I'm just going to pluck out a few things. Firstly, glad you liked the twists and turns I'm throwing in as well as the parallels to past situations and the like. I hope I can keep impressing you on that. Secondly, I do hope to write Bleach: Gates of Darkness, but whereas this is only 15 chapters projected, Bleach: GoD is astoundingly longer; pushing closer to around 100 chapters (though they are shorter in length). We'll see though, for now, Spiral Heart takes precedence and if I start up a second series simultaneously it'll just have to be a surprise what I pick.

craven34: All I can say is to expect the unexpected if you're comparing to canon... and if you're not, well, I leave pretty big bread-crumb trails to follow for future events and instances. It'll all tie together and that's my goal.

Snowkid: I try to capture the characters how I feel they'd be. Karin blushing a lot is really one of those instances where I feel like it wasn't given a chance to come up much elsewise. With Suigetsu and Sasuke it was easy to just respond with anger and slap the shit out of him; at Konoha, you don't really get away with randomly backhanding everyone who calls you out on things that embarass you.

Tezike: Glad you like some of the side pairings too, I kinda wondered if putting those in would be a good idea, but it seems to have paid off!

Toshiro Ricky: I've got three words for you "Write longer reviews!"

Skylar Knight: Thanks for the reviews, and yes, Killer Bee is a nightmare to write, but I keep slogging through it! Gotta have that kinda commitment to your writing I think.

Knightoftime: I wish I could blame it on a faulty computer or something; but like I said, just life deciding different priorities for me at the time. As for chapterlength: fun-fact, with 5 chapters and a ~75k length, they are all already that length just about!

Cursemark98: Well, only thing I can say is read on and perhaps you'll find the answers you seek!

The Forgotten Bijuu: Heh, when you have it that bad for someone, it is amazing how far you'll go! As for finding a break in the chain; I'm glad I could help! I always support the logic that most pairings (provided there's even some basis to them) can be pulled off, it's just how convincingly you create your scenario for it. I once argued that Itachi-x-Sakura would work to someone who considered it the antithesis of fanfic pairings. After a short while, success! ...at least on convincing there was a degree of viability to it. Personally, I don't even support the pairing; but I'll never knock someone on their pairing unless neither they nor I can support/empathize/argue on its behalf.

: Plot bunnies eh? Can't I just have bunny-girls? Or are they one and the same! Mysteries to be solved... mysteries to be solved... All the same, I'm glad you enjoy it and I hope you continue to do so! Thank you for the compliment!

RonaldWeasleyTheHero: Heh, bit of a rant there on a side-topic, but frankly I'm flattered that you'd compare my work so openly to the actual manga. Thank you for the compliment. Personally, I agree that Sakura needs some change. Hopefully you like the changes I continue to make!

End Comment Responses

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 6: _The Beasts Within

"Again." Kakashi ordered as the red-haired girl dragged herself to her feet.

"But…" Karin began, only to see the stern look on his face and give up her complaint before she finished voicing it. "Alright…" she relented. She began to focus once more on her water transformation by itself. As she began to focus, Kakashi paced around nearby, monitoring her with that Sharingan eye of his that still unnerved her slightly despite the time she'd spent around him thus far.

"What is important is that you not neglect even one part of your abilities. Your expansion is powerful, but having only that will limit your versatility. It should be an ability that you keep in reserve while you test your opponents." He lectured again, having repeated this message several times at this point. Karin only half-listened, intent as she was, but Kakashi droned on anyway; masking his true purpose. _She's coming along nicely. Still not as fast as she needs to be, but much better than when she was taking a minute or so to put it into Chakra paper. I guess she's only ever used it as a sensory technique… but that figures, to hide it from Orochimaru you'd want to make it look 'natural' and easy._ He stared at her, stopping his pacing as she gathered up water-manipulated chakra. "Good," he nodded to her, "you're starting to accept it a bit better. Obviously that stigma against using it for your own safety will get in the way at first, but here, you have no worries."

She nodded, feeling only slightly reassured. _It doesn't change the fact that anyone with this kind of ability is destined to be a 'weapon' in the same way a jinchuriki is. Argh! Focus! _She let out a grunt of frustration as her control started to slip just in that lapse of concentration. "How…" she muttered, straining to keep the water chakra under control and maintain it, "do you do anything else with this?"

Kakashi paused for a moment as if in thought, and then replied: "When it becomes second nature to you, you'll find you can use it like any other technique."

Karin nodded… and her accumulated chakra dispersed. "Agh!" she shouted and fell backwards in a frustrated huff. She waited for a few moments only to hear Kakashi's familiar and unconcerned: "Again."

Once again she stood slowly, but before falling into the concentration, she demanded: "What can I do to make this easier? There's gotta be a better way to do this!"

Kakashi gave her a stern glare, but it vanished a moment later. "Your problem here is that you're going to attempt to juggle three nature transformations at once. In a cluttered, flustered, and emotion-filled mind, you're going to have a tough time balancing those three forces. A calm and collected mind is a more easily focused one. If you can calm down that raging monster inside you," he began and watched her grit her teeth angrily only to catch herself and realize she had just proved his point, "you'll have a much easier time."

Karin took several deep breaths, trying to still her mind. _What is he going on about? I'm not the one with a monster inside me! That'd be Naruto, wouldn't it? But… wait… he mastered wind transformation quite well, didn't he? What let him focus so heavily…? Oh! Sasuke! That's right, he's determined to match and exceed his friend… I think I understand…_ She stood up straight, abandoning her readied posture. She flashed a grin at Kakashi and straightened her glasses and hair. "I think I understand it, let me know if this is right."

Kakashi was about to interject when she suddenly dropped into her readied pose anew and created a far more cohesive force of water chakra. "How did you…?"

She turned and smiled at him again, straining like before, but still maintaining it. "You said it yourself didn't you? I had to calm down, and I thought about how Naruto would have done it. I'm sure he gets stronger to pursue Sasuke. A goal makes all the difference, doesn't it?"

Kakashi stared. _She's got her own little version of it, but it works. That's an impressive leap of progress with just a change of how you think about it. First Naruto chasing after Sasuke masters wind chakra so quickly… and now she's after you Naruto._ He watched her continue to channel water chakra and then snapped his fingers, the signal for her to change which kind of nature transformation she was performing. She struggled for a moment, but slowly switched from water to fire transformation.

Karin was sweating heavily, but kept the chakra formed up properly even while changing it from water to fire, and from fire to lightning as Kakashi snapped his fingers again. _Odd, _Kakashi observed, _she doesn't actually have the two-element combinations it seems…_ "Karin." his voice was a clear command to stop and she turned to face him.

"Yeah?" she replied, obviously proud of herself as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was smiling broadly, a grin very reminiscent of Kakashi's last student.

"Can you hold two natures at once?" He asked.

"Whaddya mean? I can hold three. We've been over that." She tilted her head, confused, but still happy to be taking a break.

"Yes, you can, but can you hold two? Fire and lightning, for example. What I mean is, can you combine anything other than the three of them at once?" Kakashi's stern gaze made it clear he wasn't just being forgetful like Karin had originally guessed.

"Umm…" she turned away to focus and concentrate. A few minutes passed with only grumbling and cursing to give indications of her effort. Kakashi observed silently, until she turned around again at which point he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I don't think I can. It's different." she stammered out, obviously embarrassed by her inability.

"I see. Well, that's not unheard of, honestly. Your gift is to combine all three, not the individual ones." Kakashi paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully through his mask, "Come to think of it, I've never heard of the Tsuchikage using anything besides either earth element or his dust transformation. Maybe it's a part of bloodline expansions? I won't claim any knowledge here, maybe Yamato would be the best person to ask…" He mused quietly, unaware of the growing anger on Karin's face.

…Until she shouted: "So what was the point of all that! Was it just to make me feel stupid!"

He sighed, shaking his head and looking at her with a serious expression. "Karin, I'll never do that. You really need to get that temper of yours under control. You get angry and frustrated far too easily." He paused, waiting while he watched her visibly get her flustered expression back under control. "Better. Now, it wasn't to make you feel stupid, it was to get a better idea of what you can do."

Karin nodded, forcing her face to remain neutral. _Grrr, I feel like I'm being treated like a child here at times!_ She felt about to fuss again, but stopped herself through a determined effort before she could start. _I have to keep it together. The only people I'll let down with this if I can't pull it off are myself and Naruto… and if he's working as hard as I'm sure he is, I'll be damned if I'm not gonna match that!_ She nodded to herself, ignoring the strange look that got from Kakashi and stood back up. "I understand," she began, "so what's next?"

Kakashi shook his head, obviously dismayed, "I'm not entirely sure. Bloodline Expansion is a really strange thing and were it not for Madara's declaration of war, we wouldn't even have the Tsuchikage's insight. His abilities were a very tightlipped secret before we were in alliance." He paused, considering for a moment what to share about it, before continuing.

"Actually, what if I try,…" she interrupted, sounding unsure of herself but curious, "what if I try to adjust the balance of which nature is prominent? It'd be difficult, but you know, put more fire or more lightning into it. What about that?" She looked to Kakashi for a response.

He nodded and stepped back, giving her the signal to continue with her practice. _Amazing,_ he thought to himself, _she came up with it by herself. I was about to mention that's one of the ways the Tsuchikage mentioned for controlling the capacities of the Dust Release, but she seems to have already figured it out at least partially. _He stared as she started creating multicolored lights; never tiring of the lovely display of her signature technique. He let her practice for a few minutes and then threw a comment to her as the technique continued to change: "I was thinking that we'll have to put it through battle-practice and, although you're new and inexperienced, I've got quite a few ideas for the technique."

She grinned mischievously back at him and replied through gritted teeth, "I've got a few ideas of my own!" When she saw him raise an eyebrow, she turned while maintaining her technique. Sweat broke out on her brow as she called out: "Throw a kunai at me!"

Kakashi, perplexed but willing to oblige her training, tossed one lightly at an arm. Nothing more than a scratch would result from a hit… but it missed. "Huh?" Kakashi, curious now more than before, pulled a second one and actually threw it with full intent to strike; watching intently with his Sharingan. It was still only barely noticeable, but he saw that the light not only obscured her location even from his eye, but that the light actually seemed to deflect the weapon. _Not enough to stop a powerful blow, but its so subtle you'd think you missed and she hadn't done anything._ Kakashi smiled.

"That's a great idea!" He said, and clapped, "deflection and distortion, how'd you come up with that?"

She gave a strained smile and lowered the intensity of the technique to reply more easily. "Well, that's with more water element in it."

Kakashi nodded, "Makes sense."

She started to strain again, "Defend yourself! Here comes the fire variant!" she managed to grit out. She saw Kakashi's eyes widen as he leapt back. _Not from this you don't!_ She was overjoyed by a chance to lash out back at him, but realized with a start: _Wait! That's exactly what he told me not to do! I have to keep control of myself… alright, here we go!_ She concentrated intently and lashed out with her transformed chakra, a bright flash of light lancing out from around her.

_Fast!_ Kakashi thought, not having the time to realize what a foolish observation it was that light, of all things, would be fast. He dodged to the side and still felt an incredible heat from it, turning to look at where it had traveled and seeing it had actually scorched a tree. He turned back to stare in amazement at her. _That was dangerous… and I can tell, she was still holding back! That's a fire attack several times more potent than most just because of its speed._ He dusted himself off and stood again, "Excellent, though I'm going to have to ask you test those techniques on objects first next time. I'm not fast enough to dodge light, and if that was you holding back, I'm done for if you put everything into that." _Unless I use Kamui, but I'd like to avoid that unless absolutely necessary…_

Karin was already panting from the effort, only nodding her agreement. "That… leaves…"

"Lightning itself." Kakashi finished for her.

"But… it doesn't seem… to do anything!" she managed to pant out, sweat pouring from her brow. She was running low on chakra, something both had acknowledged was highly likely based on the information from the Tsuchikage. It took tremendous amounts of it to sustain a bloodline expansion even for a short period of time. The Tsuchikage had noted, however, that fights seldom last that long when an expansion technique is involved; so it isn't a well-known weakness.

Kakashi activated his Sharingan to intently focus on her, trying to help discern what the transformation was doing with a dominant amount of lightning chakra. Seconds later he was furiously rubbing his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Are you alright?" She said, suddenly dropping her efforts entirely to run over and examine him. _Hey, I can help, I was sort of a medical ninja once!_

Kakashi, still rubbing his eyes, dryly remarked: "I figured out what the lightning chakra is doing for it."

"Huh?"

"It's increasing its intensity. I tried to look at it and got blinded." Kakashi was blinking rapidly, trying to clear his vision now that he'd wiped away the tears.

"But… why didn't it bother me?" She sounded genuinely puzzled.

"Same reason Chidori doesn't electrocute the hand that wields it." He replied, finally regaining enough clarity to see the confused look on her face and explained further. "Your own element seldom does anything remotely as harmful to you. It's why you have to counter people using another element with one that trumps it. You're inherently more resistant to your own elements than others. It's not usually much; but in your case, I think you also subconsciously protect yourself. You can manipulate light, so it'd make sense that you can direct the brightness away from your eyes."

She wiped the sweat from her face and then walked back to where she'd been practicing before. Instead of concentrating again, she flopped onto the ground and lay there, catching her breath. "It's pretty complicated, isn't it?" She put her hands behind her head, relaxing. "I think I'm getting the hang of it though, but there's a lot more to it than I thought."

"Just like there's a lot more training to be done before you can take a break." Kakashi mused, hearing her groan at the thought. "Sorry, Karin, but the drain on your chakra and the speed and ease of using that technique are your biggest weak points. If it takes you a minute of intense concentration for one technique, you'll never be able to use it in a real fight."

She sighed, "I know, I know!" and dragged herself back to her feet, turning to see Kakashi raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh? What's that look for?" she demanded.

"Your Konoha protector… the band on it is orange. I just noticed." He replied, watching her turn a bright shade of pink and straightening her shorts to hide it once more. "Is that to try and emulate-"

"Shut it!" she shouted, "Don't go talking about that!"

"Oh?" Kakashi smirked, "well, it's not exactly important to the training, so I guess I'll keep quiet about that. Now, begin again." He gave the signal, this time also producing a small book from one of his pockets.

She started to object, but saw the signal and resigned herself to training once more, _At least it is a distraction from Naruto and people finding out about that just yet! Wait, what did he just pull out of his pocket? _"What's… what's that?" she tilted her head in confusion, slowly reading the title as she did. "Eh! You're gonna read that nasty thing while I train? I thought you were here to help!" She started yelling again.

Kakashi ignored her, reading another page of his book. _Still needs some work on that temperament._ He noted idly in his mind while she continued to yell about the dirty novel, ignoring his repeated signal for her to keep training. "You know," he said, looking over the top of his novel at her, "I'm sure Naruto enjoys that 'fire' of yours."

Seconds later, he was dodging punches and kicks sent his way by the furious redhead. _Still needs a __**lot**__ of work on that temper._ He kept reading even as he dodged.

]][[

Naruto sat quietly, completely still to the point that small animals would've considered him harmless. Nothing approached him, however, as he radiated chakra at an alarming rate. He had entered into a meditative state to travel into his own depths and confront the Nine-Tails within himself.

Inside his mind, he was entering the same murky grotto he had stood in many times before. He had never really understood why this place looked the way it did. It wasn't something that needed to be understood whenever he'd been here before. Now, however, he took the time to look around.

"It's so dark and cold in here…" he spoke aloud, not worrying about anyone else hearing him as he was nowhere near the cage that held the fox. He leaned down to examine the water that filled this space, it barely came up past his toes, but he couldn't see a floor beneath it. "Why does this place seem so harsh? Is this really inside me?"

"**Yes, this is the real 'you' Naruto.**" A harsh, angry voice full of cruelty boomed out, echoing through the dark space and sending ripples across the water.

"It's you." Naruto said to nowhere in particular. _If the fox could hear me talking to myself, then I don't need to shout to respond and it must be able to hear everything in here._ He looked around regardless, trying to track down the exact direction it had come from instinctually.

"**Of course it's me. Did you expect to find someone else here?**" The voice sardonically mocked him.

"No. But we need to talk." He kept his voice steady, even knowing this was not going to be easy and having to dismiss doubts regularly from his mind.

"**Talk? No. You need to release me!**"

"Yes, I intend to. Today, in fact, but first I'll have answers or I might just wait another few days to do this." Naruto bluffed, knowing he couldn't actually put this off.

"**Eh? Eh? Then ask your questions! I'll happily devour you after filling you with pointless knowledge.**"

"First, why have you suddenly become so much more interested in being free?" Naruto kept walking as he talked, feeling an awkward sense of 'going on a stroll' with the voice. He found it lessened the terrifying menace of the situation.

"**What a foolish question. I've always been interested in being free. Now free me so that I may feast on your soul!**"

"Knock it off you idiot fox! I wasn't close to finished and I can still just call it a day if you're so eager to stay locked up for a while!" Naruto shouted at the air, not really thinking about how difficult it would be to cow the fox, let alone his disembodied his voice.

Silence was the only response he got from the darkened grotto. "Good! Now, like I said, you're only now really exercising what control you can steal. Why? If I'm not being clear enough, let me explain it for you. I used your power before when I was younger. You helped me beat Neji. I won't ask about fighting against Gaara or when I was falling down that cliff, that's obviously 'survival' and makes sense. But why Neji? Surely you wouldn't care if I lost that fight, but you didn't try to possess me when I tapped into your power. Why?" Naruto resumed walking as he talked, having stopped before when he'd shouted.

"**Your body was not strong enough. If I had tried to possess you, you would've been burnt up in the process. I wouldn't have been able to manifest even six tails out of you and then we both would've been destroyed. I desire to be free, reincorporating a body after I've been destroyed takes several years. It was more prudent to wait only a few for you to be strong enough to handle it.**"

Naruto nodded, _makes sense… he's only been overly ambitious after training with Jiraiya._ "What about the key?"

"**That would free me entirely you fool. I'd have my own body back.**"

Again, Naruto nodded. He kept walking, thinking about other experiences and asking questions about them as they came to him. "You saw Sasuke. He appeared inside here, you commented he looked like someone. Care to explain that?"

"**What is there to explain? He has the same presence as Uchiha Madara. The last man to actually force me to his will. I assure you, he will retain that dubious honor when you release me. I will not kneel to a pitiful human again.**"

"I agree." Naruto replied nonchalantly.

"**Hmm!**" the fox sounded genuinely confused.

"I don't intend to make you kneel unless it's your choice. I've seen the Eight-Tails with its host. They are friends. I'd like that." Naruto stared upwards as he said it, gazing into the black vastness around him.

"**Impossible. It will never happen. I will crush you and that will be all.**"

"If I win, will you consider it?" Naruto asked. He waited a long moment for a reply and didn't hear one. "Are you not answering questions anymore? I expect you just want to sulk after being offered something you want and then having to turn it down! Are you really that prideful?" Naruto teased, feeling more in control of the situation than before.

"**You won't win. It is irrelevant.**"

"I'll take that as a 'maybe'. Now. Come on, show me where you are, I've been wandering for what feels like forever!" Naruto complained aloud.

"**What? I do not control this place, find me yourself.**"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. "You… don't control it? Then why is it always so miserable in here? I wouldn't do that."

"**Pfah! You think you're doing it consciously? This place is the visible evidence of your body rejecting me. I'm not supposed to be here. Why do you think your body locks me away in the darkest of its depths?**"

Naruto thought about it, realizing that even if he had convinced himself to try and accept the fox, it was still a 'foreign' element in his body. _That would mean_… he looked down and noticed the water did slightly flow in one direction, _Yep. I just have to follow the direction of my 'rejection' to get to it._

Moments later, he stood before the giant bars of the cage. _Odd, I guess I do control some of this place or I wouldn't have gotten here so fast._ His eyes locked onto the pair of hateful animal eyes glaring at him. "**Finally here, eh? Are we done with the questions? Then I have one for you. What exactly do you think you can accomplish? Surely you, of all people, have seen the horrible truth of this world?**"

Naruto shook his head, "I don't have one. I only know that I have dreams and I won't stop until I see them! With or without a plan, I'll bring peace and happiness to everything in this world, even you!" He shouted back, emphatically gesturing as he did so and walking towards the seal without hesitation.

The glaring eyes seemed taken aback for a moment but then resumed their familiar glare, "**Come then! Show me this determination! Tear off the seal! Face the weight of your decisions in me!**"

Naruto obliged, tearing the seal off the door in one swipe of his hand. There was a moment's hesitation and then with a loud slam the fox charged the gate and snapped it open as though it were cloth; flying through into the open area with a single bound. It whipped around with a barely constrained force in its muscles. A loud growl filled the room as it bared its teeth, already intent on killing the boy in front of it.

"Alright then, so much for hoping for a peaceful resolution…" Naruto muttered under his breath. He jumped away from it, creating numerous clones as he went. Within seconds, the tails of the fox had impaled a few of them and Naruto had the grim realization that this fight would not be the same as others. There was an element of animalistic violence driving the fox that he had very little experience with. He gathered up the chakra of a Rasengan and slammed it into the tail coming towards him with violent speed.

The fox roared its pain and anger as the tail was flung back by the explosive force. Naruto grinned, three clones he'd rapidly created now hanging onto the tail that the beast recoiled in pain. All at once, the three clones leapt from the tail, each with a Rasengan in hand to attack it from above. It lunged forward, unnoticing of the danger falling towards it, but its lunge carried it out of the way; each blow instead striking another tail. The sudden attack at its tails tripped the fox, sending it to a sprawl in front of the real Naruto as the clones vanished.

He raised a Rasenshuriken above his head, "Give it up!" he shouted, expecting it to yield. The fox let out a deafening roar of frustration and swiped with a claw as Naruto brought down the deadly ball of wind-chakra. _Not fast enough!_ Naruto thought as the claw swept towards him blindingly fast.

Just as Naruto closed his eyes to take the blow just to complete his own strike, he was about to curse his own mercifulness that he'd offered it a chance instead of just finishing it. The moment seemed to drag on and since Naruto felt neither his own blow nor the fox's connect, he opened his eyes. Glowing white chains had wrapped themselves around the fox… and Naruto's arm. "Huh?" he was baffled, struggling against the chain and not actually even feeling as if it were there. It seemed almost intangible despite its undeniable presence.

"**You! I should've known! If 'he' appeared, then you certainly would too!**" the fox screamed its rage.

"Naruto… oh how long I've waited…" a voice, gentler than any he'd ever heard called out. Naruto didn't know who or what it was, but he felt such a warmth and comfort from it that his Rasenshuriken vanished in an instant. _I feel like nothing bad could happen right now… I don't know if I've ever felt so safe… who's voice is it?_ Naruto couldn't help but wonder as everything went white as the voice called out: "Let's talk somewhere nicer…"

]][[

Yamato and Bee stared at each other, dumbfounded. A moment ago Naruto had been enveloped in the chakra cloak and three tails had formed, a fourth forcing its way to the surface as they had valiantly fought to keep it restrained. Then, without any visible change, the chakra cloak had frozen solid. Not just that it had come to a pause, but that the chakra itself had stopped even moving. Naruto, obscured as he was, appeared entirely still.

"…is he still… alive?" Yamato asked, wondering just what it was he was looking at.

"Got that right, something new is happenin' so we gotta sit tight." Bee replied, his voice actually for once conveying an element of severe seriousness.

Yamato shook his head. "You don't need to tell me, four tails is bad enough, we don't need to let him get any more. I'm not going to antagonize it if it's stopped on its own."

Bee only nodded agreement before the chakra suddenly surged, the shape moving violently and thrashing wildly. Yamato moved to attempt to restrain the monstrous thing, but Bee put a hand up to stop him. "Hold it, gettin' involved now is a bad plan! Can't you see how it is hittin' itself now man?"

Yamato stopped panicking to actually watch and he saw that the beast was actually clawing itself. _What?_ He was confused as it tore piece after piece of its own chakra-cloak away. _Is that Naruto's doing? Maybe Bee is right…_ He steadied himself, readying even more of his chakra for a powerful response if necessary, but otherwise keeping it at bay.

]][[

Naruto sat, she'd been talking for a bit, but he hadn't even considered interrupting her. She'd spoken about the intricacies of being a host, especially for a monster like the Nine-Tails. Naruto had only stared at her, taking in her features with an inexplicable familiarity. _I know her! I know I do… but how?_ He was wondering, when it suddenly hit him as she started explained what had happened the night he was born._ I saw my father 'here' before… so…!_ He turned, a sudden realization causing him to visibly shake.

She turned as he did, giving him a direct view of her for the first time, as though she had been purposely avoiding looking at him. A single tear rolled down the cheek she'd hid from him, and there was a smile so warm and full of joy on her face that Naruto couldn't stop himself from breaking down in tears.

"M-mom…" he choked out. She only nodded in reply, starting to speak again but cut-off by a sudden lunging hug. Naruto had his arms wrapped tightly around her, unable to bring himself to let go or able to talk. Already cursing himself inside that he hadn't noticed it sooner.

"Naruto… I'm sorry." she tried to keep herself steady but still trembled as she spoke. "I don't have that much time." Naruto shook his head against her, not breaking his hug for a moment. "I know, I know, I wish I had longer, but there's so much I need to tell you still." He only nodded his understanding, breaking the hug reluctantly and slowly.

She went on at length about how things had happened the night he was born. "When you were born, that masked man you're dealing with now was there. Neither your father nor I was able to figure out how he'd found out… how he'd been able to break through the security… any of it. He was every bit as deadly as your father, though in the end Minato was able to defeat him and force him to retreat." She talked rapidly, knowing Naruto needed to hear these things more than the pleasantries and her past that he'd want to hear. "I'm sure you already know, but he is extremely powerful. I know you want to bring peace to this world and I want you to succeed, but as long as this man… no, this monster, is free to do as he pleases, then there's no way it'll happen."

Naruto nodded, choking back the questions he wanted to ask, the things he knew weren't important to the world as a whole. _I want to know more about my Mom and Dad… but it must be tough on her too_. He grit his teeth, listening to her and adding just one more reason to pummel the masked man extra hard onto his already vast list of crimes. _Oh! _Naruto's face brightened for a moment, _Should I tell Mom about her?_

The red-haired woman turned, "What's that look for, Naruto?" she tilted her head at him, inquisitive.

"Ah… it's um… it's nothing! Err… just…" he stammered.

Her smile warmed his entire being, it was full of understanding and comfort. "Oh… it's 'that' isn't it?" She leaned over and hugged him. "You've already got the most important part of being a host down."

"Huh?" Naruto was utterly perplexed, though not hesitating to hug her back.

"To fill the vessel with love." she responded, without missing his question in the slightest.

Naruto's face turned bright red and he tried to think of how to respond, but nothing could find a way past his embarrassment at being so easily found out by his mom just after meeting her.

"What's her name?" she asked, slowly releasing him from the hug. _I don't have much time left… but… this is just as important._

"Karin. She…" Naruto began, blushing and scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Shh, it's okay." she responded, upset that she had to cut him off when he was clearly able to talk about her at length. "That's all I needed to know. Take good care of her okay? Don't let her go, no matter what, if she's that special to you."

Naruto nodded, understanding the urgent tone to her voice. _Her time is running out… dammit. It's not fair. I don't want her to go yet… I didn't want Dad to go either… it's just not fair_.

"What you need to know is this: you cannot beat that masked man by yourself. Don't even attempt it. Part of the reason your father put the Nine-Tails in you is because he knew you would need to have not only its power, but its help to beat that man." She saw him start to react violently but she shook her head. "Listen to your mother, the masked man can dominate the fox near-effortlessly. If you and it cannot work together, you'll not be able to overcome him. He'll be able to turn any power you gain from it against you."

Naruto struggled to find a response, unable to word his frustration at the idea.

"It's okay Naruto, I know you can do it. You are my son, you have your father's skill and you have my determination. Moreover, I've seen what you can do; how you reach people. If anyone can succeed at befriending the Nine-Tails, it is you. If you can't do it, I'm not sure anyone can. Your father and I believe in you. Know that we love you." She held him tightly, yet he felt her grip fading… and she began to slowly disappear as well.

Naruto lunged upwards and raised his voice, feeling that he had to make sure she heard this before she vanished: "I won't let either of you down! I promise, I'll make you and dad proud of me! I love you both! I will-" he sobbed, tears streaming down his face as he shouted, "-I will make sure the future you both wanted is a reality!" He was gasping for breath, he'd said it so quickly he'd forgotten to breathe between words or sentences.

She smiled, another tear rolling down her cheek; glittering even as she turned more and more transparent. She nodded, reaffirming everything he said and not needing to say anymore. A moment later she was gone. Naruto stood alone in a white, featureless expanse. He nodded and that empty space too vanished suddenly.

]][[

He was back in the grotto, back in front of the fox, the chains around them both having diminished in brightness and number. The last one around his arm suddenly lashing out to join in binding the fox as well.

_ Thanks Mom_. Naruto thought, realizing it was her last effort towards helping him. The fox, still immobile, had only a moment to widen its eyes in surprise as Naruto brought the Rasenshuriken crashing down onto it. "Eat this!" He shouted and smashed the concentrated attack into its face. The blow sent the beast spiraling backwards, crashing against walls and splashing along the ground roughly before it righted itself shakily once more.

_Huh…?_ Naruto stared at the odd sight before him. His blow had seemingly split the fox into two. There was one fox, the one that growled angrily and was currently still shaking off the damage from that last attack; and there was another, one that seemed to be made of a ghostly red glow. _That is…_ he stared at it for a moment, but quickly made up his mind when he heard the other fox howl angrily and start to dash towards him once more. With it clearly something of value, Naruto abandoned caution and lunged into the ghostly afterimage.

An intense burning poured through him, he didn't know what it was, but it felt as though a fire were forcing its way into his body. Every part of him was enveloped in a searing pain… but that same pain was already fading. It was gone as soon as he'd noticed it and he stood, practically unaware anything had even happened had he not just seen and felt it himself. _What was that?_ He began to muse, but looked down and saw his arms enveloped in a red chakra-cloak. _Like the fight with Neji… only hundreds of times more! This is the fox's chakra! I've got it! _He was only permitted a moment of celebration before a paw caught him along his side and sent him hurtling through the air.

_It didn't hurt?_ Naruto was confused, but his experience with sage mode made him familiar with just how 'activated' his body must be right now. He landed and skidded slightly, but stood slowly to his feet as the fox lunged again.

"**Naruto!**" it screamed and all nine tails hurtled towards his heart, pointed, to gouge out the contents of his chest in a single disemboweling strike.

"No." Naruto responded, completely calm and utterly confident. He turned and held out a single hand, all nine tails colliding with his palm and each one buckling while Naruto didn't even flinch. He saw the fox's eyes widen in outright surprise. Naruto permitted himself a moment of shock as well, _Did I really stop that attack with just an open palm? This is a crazy power! _He saw the beast swipe a paw out and readied himself. In one motion, he caught the paw on his side and with both arms, but braced his feet and with a spinning motion, hurled the fox against the gates it had charged out of earlier. _Effortless. With this much power I could defeat this thing in an instant. Time for a little payback on this mons-… wait. No. There's a better way._

"Alright," Naruto began, "let's talk, you and I. I think it is time we got to know each other. We should be friends." He saw the fox position all nine tails and it began gathering chakra in front of it, the blast technique all the Bijuu could perform. _This could take a while…_ Naruto lamented, shaking his head as he held out a hand to create a red Rasengan in his palm and walked slowly towards it, trusting in his newfound powers. _I don't want to hurt him, but it's going to be a long day beating sense into him at this rate._

]][[

Bee let out a loud 'phew' noise as the chakra cloak surrounding Naruto fell apart entirely. Naruto remained immobile in his meditative pose, but Bee simply dusted his hands and stepped back.

"Where are you going!" Yamato demanded, frustrated and still keeping his concentration intently on Naruto.

"He's gone and done it all, chill out yo' rage; he's found his way to the next stage." Bee fell backwards, clearly relaxing entirely. "Even ol' Eight can see it's Naruto in the lead, there ain't any danger left to read."

Yamato turned and stared, he didn't know quite whether to trust it or not, but lowered his guard all the same. "I hope you're right…" he muttered, stepping back carefully, not wanting to interfere with Naruto's concentration.

]][[

_There are times,_ Tsunade thought with a humorless mental chuckle, _that I would happily turn over the position of Hokage to Naruto, just so he could deal with these parts of the job._ Ino and Sai sat across from her and while Sai was expressionless as ever, Ino was practically sobbing. Tsunade chin rested on her folded hands, propped up on her elbows. Ino barely kept her sobbing in and so Tsunade paused to hopefully let the young girl get control of herself.

"Really, I'll go and bring her back, I know I can. I'm certain I will." Ino pleaded anew, voice cracking as she did.

Sai looked from one to the other and then nodded, more to himself than anything, "I'll go with her. Make sure she's safe."

Tsunade shook her head again. "No. I can't allow it. Sakura's timing is… unfortunate. While Naruto's headstrong antics and hopes could be entertained and, out of necessity, had to be pursued in the attempted rescue of Sasuke… at this point, Konoha can't spare the squads to track down Sakura. Given how many resources we've devoted to unsuccessfully getting one ninja back who didn't wish to return, it is unreasonable to allow another 'rescue' attempt." She saw the crestfallen look on Ino's face as the girl attempt to mouth a reply but could barely hold back her tears instead. "Sadly, Sakura may have defected, may already be captured by the enemy, or worst: may be dead. I cannot knowingly endanger more people with war looming so clearly in the future."

Ino shook her head violently, "No, she wouldn't do that! She-"

Tsunade cut her off abruptly, "I spoke to her too. I saw what was happening to her and believe me, she was capable of it. Whether it was her in her right mind or not, she's fully capable of doing incredibly foolish things right now. She's in a very unstable mental state." She saw the girl again resign herself to the bitter and undesirable truth. _Dammit… I am Hokage! I can do better than this… but what! I'm under pressure from the Shinobi Joint Alliance as well here. They're already displeased at how the entire Sasuke situation resolved… repeatedly. Maybe if-_ Her thoughts were interrupted again by Ino's pleading. Tsunade sat upright and held out a hand to stop her. "Ino. I'll let you search, but under a very strict set of circumstances."

Ino's eyes brightened and she looked ready to ramble her gratitude and promises of success but Sai put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She snapped out of it in a moment, wearing a forced expression of seriousness. She swallowed once and with a deep breath to nerve herself responded: "I'm listening."

_Good, she got a hold of herself. It's bad enough having one headstrong idiot in Naruto, I don't need a whole generation of them._ Tsunade leaned back, relaxing a bit more than before. "You're not allowed to search too far. If you get say… as far as the Valley of the End, you've gone too far."

"But-!" Ino interrupted, knowing that it was likely Sakura had already passed that distance.

Tsunade shook her head, not giving an inch in the argument, "No. You wanted to search, so you may, but I won't have you traveling to other countries and possibly going missing in doing so. This entire search of yours is dependent on whether or not you can do it off the record, off the books, entirely undetected. I don't want anyone able to look at this and say I sent people after her. Do you understand?"

Ino nodded weakly, but Sai leaned forward, "The maximum range of my techniques is quite far, I'm assuming there'll be no qualms against me using them?"

Tsunade nodded, catching Sai's idea. He leaned over and whispered something to Ino and saw her face brighten instantly. Seconds later Sai made an awkward 'oof' noise as Ino gave him a sudden hug that was practically a tackle. She released him almost immediately, blushing slightly, and stood up. "Thank you, Hokage." she bowed quickly and dashed out, already overexcited.

Sai stood slowly, straightening his clothes. "I assure you, I will keep her safe. Thank you for allowing her this chance Hokage." He gave a bow and left after her.

Tsunade chuckled and leaned back entirely in her chair, spinning it around slowly to stare out the window. "What a good sign that he's become such a reliable young man. Is that your influence, Naruto? Or maybe… just maybe that's the influence of something else entirely." Tsunade smiled. _There, at least now I can say I actually did something; to salve my own guilt in this as well_.

]][[

Sand whirled slowly around the windows, sluggish and harmless, but laden with a sense of foreboding. The slight rustling noise the sand made was an insufficient distraction as the red-haired young man stared out of the window; seeing nothing as he was lost in his thoughts. Nearby, his two siblings were chattering away; his brother suggesting things and his sister shooting them down rapidly. There was a long awkward silence that even the distracted young man noticed and turned with an unpleasant realization. _Ah, I must've been asked a question I didn't hear._

Not getting a reply of any kind and seeing him turn, his brother cleared his throat and repeated himself. "I said: what do you think this masked maniac is planning, Gaara?"

He shook his head, ready to reply but was cut off by his sister. "Kankuro, address him appropriately as Kazekage."

"But Temari, we're by ourselves! No reason to stand on ceremony like that."

She grit her teeth, frustrated, but apparently unconcerned to argue it any further.

"It's okay, Temari. I don't mind." Gaara spoke slowly, carefully measuring out his words as he almost always did. "As for what 'Madara' is planning… I can't begin to imagine. My only guess is that we're making ourselves targets and he's likely hoping we'll slip up. Patience is something he no doubt has an endless amount of while we're straining under maintaining an alliance." After he finished, without thinking, he turned to stare back out the window.

His siblings kept talking about what he'd said for a minute or two, but the conversation died off quickly when they realized he wasn't joining in again. Nearly a minute passed, no one breaking the silence whatsoever, before Kankuro lost patience. "What's with this? Something wrong Gaara? Normally you're all business in regards to things like this. Right now you're practically not even here."

Gaara, without turning to face either of them and still looking out the window, replied calmly, "It's about Shukaku."

Kankuro nodded slowly, "Ah… that makes sense…"

Temari, however, shook her head. "No it doesn't. Isn't that thing gone? At least to some extent?"

Gaara's face remained expressionless, "It's not gone as you might think." he replied, without turning around. _It's true, I don't have as many issues as I did, but I can still feel its presence now and then. That, and my powers are still there too._ He thought quietly, wondering just how the situation 'inside' had changed.

Temari hung her head slightly, a little ashamed to have brought it up so casually. "Well, what's up then? He's right," she motioned to Kankuro, "you do seem unusually aloof."

Gaara sighed softly, _no getting out of this one without giving them something to bite on I guess. _"Alright. It's because I'm wondering how Naruto is doing. Those Konoha ninja brought news about him. He's still a very large risk in this war for all of us." he elaborated slowly, measuring out the words with an obvious displeasure at admitting it.

"Ohh… that makes sense. He's your friend too, so I can see why you'd be worried." Kankuro nodded again, scratching his chin in understanding.

Temari shook her head, "I think there's more to it still." she hadn't asked; though her tone all-but-demanded it.

Gaara turned, eyes narrowing as he became slightly angry at the way things were unfolding. "That's all there is to it. If this meeting has become about whether or not I'm allowed to be aloof, then I believe it is over."

Temari had a look of concern, Kankuro simply looked confused, but both moved towards the door. The room was suddenly more tense than before and even the sand outside the windows seemed hesitant to blow along. "At least tell me you're fine. I've been worried about you ever since… 'that' happened." Temari added, though obviously reluctant.

_ Of course, I guess I can't fault her for being concerned. Technically I died, didn't I? You'd have to be certain they were 'okay' a lot after that._ Gaara's anger, what little of it there had been, vanished. "I'm fine. Really." He saw her nod and turned to stare back out the window. "…it's good to have her around though. She's a lot like him."

Temari raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Gaara?"

_Shit, I thought they'd left… I shouldn't have said that._ He clenched the hand opposite her side into a fist where she couldn't see it. "Sorry, I meant them. Her benefits, though, are that she'll be able to help us predict what crazy thing he'll do next."

She paused, mulling it over a moment, and nodded. "Of course." and left without another word, behind Kankuro and closing the door as she went.

She paused out in the hall while Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief. "Maaan! Gaara still can be really scary sometimes!" he complained, but kept his voice low so he wouldn't be heard through the door. "I don't know what you were pushing for, but warn me next time so I can get outta there!" Then he heard a noise that made him go pale with unimaginable terror. Temari was giggling. It was a noise he had never heard before, and having heard it now, hoped he'd never hear again. "Wha…?" he barely managed to form part of the word, already retreating backwards quickly without thinking about it.

She put a hand to her mouth, attempting to stifle the giggling as she slowly regained her composure. She blushed a bit, "Oh… nothing." and then left, still a large grin on her face. Kankuro decided that as long as it, whatever it was, had nothing to do with him; he was happy to leave it at that.

]][[

"Just go and find something to do that looks official." Shikamaru had told her. Any further questions were just met with: "How would I know what/where/who that is?" and subsequently blown off. So, with little else in mind as an option, Hinata wandered through Sunagakure attempting to look as though she were doing something. _But this is so boring… no one here even really wants to talk to anyone else. Is this what it's always like here? I wonder whether Shikamaru actually had something important to do… or if he was just trying to get rid of an obstacle to being lazy…_ She mused as she strolled, unsure of her destination and not really worrying too much about it. _No no, that's not like him… well, not anymore. When it comes to serious stuff he's actually one of the most reliable people around. No one else keeps themselves cool under pressure even half as well as he does. I just hope that I can find something important to do too._

"Hmm…" she looked around, "if I could ask for directions or something, this wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately, I don't think people really walk around here much." She stared up and down empty streets as sand blew along the stone every time the wind stirred it into motion. _I'm half-tempted to use my Byakugan to see where everyone is… but that'd be a pretty big waste… and how desperate for company would that make me?_ She kept walking, still without a destination in mind, slowly tracing her steps back to the main building that housed the Kazekage since it was the only building she really knew. Unaware she'd been working her way back towards it as she circled around town. _It's strange though, even though I'm all alone right now with no one around, I feel really safe. It's oddly comforting. Of course, things at home were never the best, so maybe a vacation is a good thing! …if I could actually call it that. Oh well, I just hope I can make friends with some of the people here._

She was still musing in her thoughts when she strolled around a corner and collided into someone else, not roughly, but still enough to knock her backwards. "Ouuch…" she rubbed her forehead where it'd bumped into the other person's and looked up to see who she'd walked into; already stammering out apologies.

]][[

_Damn. Why did I blurt that out? I was just trying to get them to drop it and instead I think I've made Temari suspicious of me._ Gaara thought, carefully picturing the scenario in his head and wondering why he hadn't just left it unanswered. _I didn't need to answer for anything like that. I trust them, that's a given, so they will just have to trust me when I tell them I'm fine._ Gaara shook his head, closing his eyes tightly and dispelling the image. _Doesn't matter anyways. That unplanned-meeting wound up being pointless. We didn't settle on anything new idea-wise and are no better off than how we started._ He let out a single chuckle, a gesture he'd seen others do and one of many he was trying his best to imitate himself. _At least Kankuro is still oblivious as always._

A moment later, opening his eyes again, he looked around. _Ah… I've been pacing again._ He looked around, realizing he'd left his office and ambled somewhere else in the village. _Damn, when did I lose track of what I'm doing? That's been happening for a few days now… Back to work then, the elders all hate when I'm not somewhere they can find me at all times. After all these years they are still terrified of a Shukaku rampage not being suppressed within moments._ His eyes narrowed, a familiar indication of disapproval and anger. _At some point they will just have to trust their new Kazekage. They are beginning to- _Gaara's thoughts were interrupted as he walked back towards the main building that held his office.

The interruption was someone having walked into him full-on. He didn't stagger so much as he flinched, the heavy sand gourd steadying him with its weight easily. Gaara was still caught off guard by the entirety of it.

"Ouuch…" a soft voice moaned, and within moments Gaara realized just who he'd actually bumped into.

"Hinata?" His eyes widened as he held out a hand to help her up without thinking, "what are you doing out here?"

"Umm…" she slowly got to her feet, taking his hand. _Wow, it's so… soft? I guess that makes sense. Armor of sand an all.. sand can be soft, right?_ She shook her head suddenly to shake off her random thoughts, "I was looking for something to um… do." she finished weakly. _Wow, that sounds just a little pathetic…_ and quickly added: "I'm not okay with sitting around and doing nothing."

He nodded, staring downwards as though terribly distracted by his thoughts, "I can understand that. I think most of the people in this alliance are already chafing at the idea of not having anything to do. Unfortunately, patience is our only option until either the enemy makes a move or we find them."

She stared at him, the way he seemed to be focused on something in front of him on the ground. Not wanting to be seen staring, she lowered her gaze and looked where she thought he was. _He seems so distracted… I wonder what's bothering him? Maybe it's something he has to deal with as a Kage… _"Is there… is there something I could do to help?" she volunteered. She smiled when she noticed his attention snap up to her.

"Oh." He paused for a moment. "Hmm… not that I can think of. All I can recommend is…" he paused again, holding a hand up in front of himself and looking at it intently. Slowly, sand swirled in his palm until he closed it into a fist and then let it fall back to his side, the sand falling to the ground again through his fingers. "…train… I guess. We have time to do that now, so best make use of it. No idea what we'll be up against when it comes."

She watched the unusual motions and gestures on his part and then nodded when she realized he'd finished talking. "Yeah. That… uh… that's probably a good idea… can you…" she saw him staring in confusion as she rambled and stopped. "Um. Sorry, I was just, well, it's… could you recommend somewhere I can train? Or someone I could train with?" She frowned slightly, embarrassed at how her response had come out.

He seemed to be staring at her intently without any sign of having heard her. A long, still moment passed and she blushed a bit as he stared. _He's staring at me so much! What's up with him…? He must really be lost in thought if he didn't hear me. Maybe I shoul-what?_ Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when she saw a small smile appear on his face, though it was visibly an effort on his part. "I have an idea…" he said, and then noticed she had started to blush and immediately lost some of his composure, "wait wait, no not like that."

She put a hand to her mouth to try and stifle her giggles, it was the first time she'd seen him actually caught off-guard. It wasn't much, but seeing him do it made it significant.

He stared in surprise at her reaction and tilted his head slightly in confusion. Slowly he shook his head. "I just meant that if you need a training partner, I imagine your Byakugan is difficult to train without the right kind of opponent. I was thinking that if I took it easy, you might be able to use my large area attacks as practice observing everything around you at once." He had closed his eyes as he explained, taking a long blink to help visualize it as he explained it. When he opened them up, he had to take a step backwards at the angry expression on her face.

"And just what will I learn if you take it easy, huh?" Her face wasn't far from his as she'd stepped forward, but she still yelled anyway. "What kind of idiotic plan is that? If you want to help me train, then actually help, don't just coddle me! You're not suppo-"

"Haha…" he chuckled as she yelled, surprised at her outburst.

"-sed to… …" she stopped, suddenly speechless. "D-did… did you just laugh?" Her angry rant halted mid-stride as she heard the truly unusual sound come from him.

He froze, suddenly aware of his own actions too. "I… did." He sounded every bit as confused as she was. He shook his head, "Sorry-" he began.

"No no no!" she was emphatic, "don't apologize for that. I just… I didn't even know you… could…" she blushed and hung her head, only aware of how cruel it sounded when it was already too late to not finish it.

"It's okay." he filled in the awkward silence before it could begin. "That doesn't bother me. Still, I apologize, it's just… that sounded so much like something he'd say."

"Who?" she asked.

"Naruto." He replied. "He'd never be happy if someone was taking it easy on him when he was trying to do something."

"Oh… Oh!" she started laughing as she realized how right he was. _I'm really starting to act like him, aren't I? _She composed herself after she got her laughter under control and saw him staring at her again and blushed a bit. He quickly looked away in response to her blush and turned to leave. "Hey…" she began, but he held up a hand.

"If you're interested, just let me know. I promise I won't 'coddle' you in training." He called back to her as he walked away slowly.

She jogged a moment to catch up and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I'm letting you know. I'll definitely take you up on that offer. Just send someone to get me whenever you're ready… because…" she let go and realized she'd just embarrassed herself again, "…I don't know the way." she finished lamely.

He half-turned, "It's okay. I'll send for you." He smiled again, and she saw it didn't seem strained or forced this time. She stared as he left, not following.

_ He's… he's a really nice guy and he's trying so hard. I'm glad he's here. The Sand is lucky to have such a good person as the Kazekage and it makes sense why he was chosen as the leader of the alliance… Though the way he stares is kinda creepy. _She thought about it a moment, remembering the way he had looked at her. _Like he was thinking about something else, captivated by something… or… someone…_ Her thoughts ground to a halt and she put her hands on her cheeks, feeling the warmth there. _Oh no… no no no, this is not right. This is bad. Is it what I think it is? What am I doing? Why am I so excited about the possibility of it being 'that'? I'd better not just be rebounding… don't I have to be in a relationship first for that to happen? Argh! _she pinched her cheeks hard, _I've got to get my head on straight. I'll think this one through… just as soon as I find a nice place to sit._

]][[

Gaara walked until he could take the nearest convenient turn down another path and then quickened his pace to be sure she couldn't follow him easily. He stopped after another few turns and panted softly. Not because the power-walking had made him short of breath, but because of the effort it had taken to keep himself composed 'properly'. He held up his hand again and stared at it. The one he'd helped her up with. It was a well-kept secret of his that ever since his run-in with Akatsuki, he had lost his ability to keep the armor of sand activated at all times. He used it only for combat now, instead of day-to-day life. _She was so… soft… and warm._

He shook his head and put a hand on his cheek, the real reason why he had been in a hurry to leave still burning hot. _Pretty hard to convince someone you have the armor of sand up if you are… blushing_. Again he shook his head and then kept walking, more slowly this time. _Hinata, I wonder if she noticed…? …I hope my duties don't keep me from getting a chance to see her again… soon._

]][[

It had been at least two or three days. She wanted to keep track of time better than that, but sometimes the days flew by exhaustingly or were so quiet and uneventfully boring that they couldn't be remembered. Her new master was overbearingly meticulous about how things had to be done. Traveling, itself, was a new challenge because of how important she declared it to be that they not be seen or discovered. "A new Sound faction will not go overlooked by either side in this upcoming war. If we want to avoid being pressed into any side of it but our own, we need to not exist until we're ready." is what she'd said; though that was the 'cleaned up' translation. It had been days and she still wasn't used to the vulgarity of her companion.

"Get your retarded head outta the clouds, bitch!" a fierce whisper brought Sakura back to reality from her thoughts temporarily.

"Sorry Tayuya." Sakura replied in an equally hushed voice. No one was around for miles that she could see, but that didn't stop their travel from being in the utmost secrecy and quiet. _Tayuya takes this entirely too seriously… _she thought, but there was a hint of admiration there for that level of conviction to a goal. She'd asked where the hideout was, gotten cuffed for doing so, decided that it was wherever it needed to be, and that knowing wouldn't make getting there any faster.

Each day was the same. Traveling while the sun was up, resting while it was down… usually. Each night, if they made camp, Tayuya would leave for a while without a word. She was always there in the morning when Sakura woke up, but she'd been told not to follow her. _I'd follow her if I thought I could get away with it… but her hearing is something else entirely. She could count the number of pins hitting the floor in a noisy room and not miss one. That… and she's so easy to anger, I'd better not push my luck. I am still alive after all._

It was not something Sakura felt happy or safe acknowledging either. She knew just how easily Tayuya would kill her if she became a burden that the irritable redhead was no longer able to bear. _I thought since she wanted a subordinate, she might open up at least a little; but I've got nothing on her so far_. She mused, wondering why she wanted to know more about her; but that was the least of the things spinning through her head. Questions that had no good answers yet had been in her mind each day whenever she woke. With no talking during their travels, aside from angrily hissed commands, Sakura had nothing to do but contemplate them as she moved.

Today was no different and her mind raged onwards even as her body moved. _It's so strange, I should hate her. I should be planning an escape or revenge or something! Instead, I follow; I keep following. I don't even know where we are at this point! Still, there's something to be said for working myself to exhaustion each day._ It always went this way with her thoughts anymore. They were as factionalized as the ninja world was; even mirroring the war's effects as things kept polarizing into one of two sides. _I don't want to hear it! Just because she's distracting me doesn't mean it is making any of it better!_

_ Isn't it though? You're not thinking about either Sasuke or Naruto. They haven't entered your thoughts in days. You're worried about yourself entirely for yourself now. That's a good thing._

_ No, because reaching them was my goal! Why get stronger if it doesn't have a purpose? Why survive if what I want I don't have?_

_ Goals and reasons change though… maybe letting someone entirely new pick a purpose for me like this is just what I needed._

_ But then I need to know what my actual purpose is now, don't I? I can't follow her blindly!_

_ It does feel better though. It is nice to not have to choose._

_ …it is nice, but I need to know more about her. I can't trust her at all and I want to trust who's leading me around. _Sakura grinned, her mind made up again; the way it usually was. She'd been going through these mental motions daily, each time resolving to attempt to follow Tayuya at night; each time losing confidence in doing so as the day wore on. She told herself each night would be different; but, just like the days, they were more-or-less the same.

In this manner, the days wore on. Though Sakura could never see it, Tayuya smiled. She'd dragged the pink-haired girl through different parts of the same country for days now. By the time they reached the hideout, with any luck, Sakura would've already gotten over her change in circumstances. She was happy to let Sakura mumble to herself and sort out her own inner demons. That was, in fact, the whole point: to isolate her and make her come-to-terms with her new 'self'. _Just keep sorting out your thoughts you dumb bitch, I don't need you having any more emotional crisis bullshit while I've got you working in the lab._

]][[

The building was one of Orochimaru's old bases; unlike the others, however, this one was established by his followers. Slavish devotees who craved his attentions in a sort of suicidal, self-aware gesture. Tayuya confessed that she could never understand those "fucking morons who **wanted **Orochimaru focused on them." People, like a 'Kimimaro' she mentioned, both nauseated and scared her.

It had a shoddy look to it, as though ready to collapse at any moment. Sakura couldn't imagine living in it, but Tayuya assured… or rather, declared, that this was home now.

"Here's how this works, and get your fucking mind wrapped around this 'cuz I'm not going over it again. Got it, shit-for-brains?" She stood in front of the rotting, moldy wood of the front door. "Rule number one: you don't go god-damned anywhere without my say-so. If I catch you outside when you're supposed to inside, then I'm putting your dumb ass in a shallow grave. Rule number two: do what I tell you, until I fuckin' tell you to stop." She clapped her hands together and made a motion as though dusting them off. "There! That should be simple enough for even a retard to remember."

Without waiting for a reply of understanding, she turned and opened one of the doors, walking in without a word. Sakura considered not following only for a moment. _Just another test on whether or not I can be obedient. Like she doesn't already know?_ Sakura walked inside and closed the door behind her. Cringing at the musty air and deplorable conditions of the room, she took in her surroundings all the same.

The other exits were all collapsed. It was just a simple room with two mattresses of disgustingly low quality and some other living qualities better suited to a beast than a person. Wrinkling her nose at the smell, she turned to Tayuya who was grinning broadly. "Aww, whassamatter? Little doggie doesn't like her new doghouse?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in frustration, her fists clenching at her sides, but she kept them there. "You can't do better than this?" she measured out carefully, controlling the tone of her voice to sound, hopefully, more inquisitive than disgusted.

"Of course I do. I just wanted to make sure this disguise works." The other woman reached down and opened a hidden trap door as she replied. "Ah well, at least it works on fuckin' morons like you. I should bring a real ninja and see if they spot it."

It took all of Sakura's self-control to keep from hitting herself for falling for it. _Of course there's an underground to it. You've been __**in**__ one of Orochimaru's hideouts. They are always underground sections. Usually those are the bulk of them! Dammit!_ She followed as Tayuya led her further and further into the bowels of the facility; showing her the various rooms. Unsurprisingly, most of them were entirely off-limits to her even after being led on with gestures like she would actually see inside them.

Nearly an hour worth of teasing more than touring passed before she stopped and shoved Sakura into a room ahead of her. "Here's where you're working." she said as she followed her inside. The room itself was a large, unorganized, and confusing laboratory. It was filled with numerous vials and containers, each with numerous things inside that Sakura both could and could not identify. Many of the experiments seemed halfway complete or as if they had been finished and left out for too long.

"What is-" Sakura began.

"It's a lab, idiot." Tayuya cut her off impatiently. "You're going to be working here. You're a medical ninja, right? At the very least you should have a good deal of understanding about how poisons and things of that nature work… or is the limit of your experience in playing doctor with a couple of 'cute boys'? Your job, whether you fucking like it or not, is to find a way to detoxify several substances. That means," she said, explaining like Sakura had asked, "I need you to remove their poisonous elements."

"Why?" Sakura responded, already at a loss as to why a ninja would want something to _not_ be poisonous.

"So I hmm…" she paused and tapped her lip thoughtfully, "…it doesn't actually fucking matter why, does it? Just do as your told damn it. There's plenty of all the 'ingredients' so when you screw it all up you can just start over. Now… staaay…" Tayuya backed out of the room like she was talking to a disobedient dog and then laughed and slammed the door. Sakura winced as it slammed, but was actually relieved to see her go.

"Finally…" she sat down at a table covered with note sheets and lists. She made no effort to look through any of them, instead happy just to sit down and kick her feet up. She told herself she wouldn't bother actually looking at any of this, seeing no value in any of it since it wouldn't make her any stronger. "When she comes back, I'm negotiating my own terms again. I'm tired of being treated like a dog."

It took nearly an hour before her curiosity and boredom got the better of her. She dug through the notes, pouring over them with a strange excitement. _I guess this is the result of doing nothing but traveling for days. Any stimulation is good stimulation at this point…_ She worked diligently, unaware of how much time passed in the underground room. It was rare that Tayuya ever actually checked to see if Sakura was still working… or even still there. _I wonder if she has some way of knowing if I'm working?_ Sakura thought, but didn't try testing it.

Sleeping in a bed and having her own room were sorely missed luxuries that made the rest of the overly-tedious work more bearable. Whenever she wasn't working, Tayuya was usually nearby. It took Sakura nearly three cycles of it to realize that it wasn't by accident… _She can hear me! There's no other noise down here, so she can hear when I move through the halls… I wonder…_ Sakura spent the next several cycles of working and sleeping practicing something new, in addition to her laboratory work. It took several attempts, but finally paid off a few cycles later.

]][[

"Wha?" Tayuya looked up from her food as Sakura entered the room. "When the hell…?"

Sakura grinned broadly, "Hmm?" she mused, as innocently as possible.

"Don't 'hmm' me, dammit, when did you fucking get quiet enough to walk without sounding like an avalanche?" the redhead demanded.

Sakura didn't bother answering, enjoying irritating Tayuya for a change. She sat with her own food, directly across from her. "So… about my own terms."

Tayuya just looked at her blankly for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Haha, look at you! One shitty little accomplishment and already acting like you're important! Well tell you what, how about instead of threatening to kill you, I just let your dumb ass live! Oh wait… I'm already doing that. Sounds like you made good on your end of it instead of the other way around, retard." Tayuya, still chuckling, started to eat again.

"Not good enough." Sakura demanded, gritting her teeth.

"Too fuckin' bad." Tayuya responded with all the casual tones of a parent dismissing an outlandish request from a child.

Sakura growled, sputtering to form a response and then storming off with a huff when nothing came to her. She knew that Tayuya wasn't going to listen to anything she had to say. Tayuya, looked up from her food and stared after her for a few minutes. She considered following her to make sure she didn't so something stupid, but instead sighed: "spoiled brat…" and kept eating.

]][[

Sakura thrashed and raged in her room. "Why isn't any of it good enough? What the hell does she want from me!" She would've destroyed belongings in her rage, but the room was vacant of everything but pen and paper for notes, a desk to write them on, and a bed. "What have I got to do to get a little respect from anyone! Dammit! She's just such a… such a… such a bitch!" She threw herself on her bed with enough force that it hurt when she collided with the less-than-soft mattress. Eyes tightly closed, she lay there, frustrated beyond measure. _Wait a damn second! Why does it even matter what she thinks?_

_ Because she's the only one who still cares, right? No one came after me from Konoha. No one there even had me doing anything! They all wanted me to just take a vacation from everything like a war wasn't on the horizon and all my friends weren't in danger! Now someone finally has me involved in things and even **they** are still shutting me out! I can't stand it! Why am I never important enough for anyone to keep me close! It's always just time to push me away whenever I'm not needed anymore…_

Minutes later, she had cried herself out; no longer able to will more tears to come. She'd been doing this frequently and now was already through her sobbing. She pounded a fist into the lumpy mattress. _I'm not gonna give up yet. I'll make her acknowledge me. I'll have __**her**__ wanting me around. I'll show her what I can do…_ she hopped off her bed, newly resolved. _But the first step is 'know thy enemy'… right?_ She peered out carefully into the halls, making sure Tayuya wasn't nearby and then stomped towards her lab room. When she arrived, she opened the door and quickly checked to see if Tayuya was inside waiting for any reason. _Good, she's not here_. She stomped in place a few times then slammed the door. Then, without a sound, she crept away from the lab.

It only took a few minutes for her to find Tayuya moving through the halls. Without giving herself away, she followed the redhead. _Time to find out what's so important that you do everyday._ She grinned, already enjoying herself at having a chance to get back at her red-haired taskmaster. It would take patience, but Sakura had built up an abundance of that in the days and days it took to reach this place.

Nearly an hour later, she was beginning to wonder if Tayuya actually ever did anything. She'd been in the same room nearly the entire time, but since the door was alone in an entire hallway, there'd be no way to hide if it suddenly opened while she was close to it. _Come on already… you have to come out sometime…_ Sakura kept herself quiet and still, ready for even the slightest motion. _What if there's another exit to that room? Damn, if only I could… wait, she can hear that well, maybe if I strain hard enough I can too…_ she tried her hardest to listen down the length of hall. She did everything she could think of to try and improve her hearing; from concentrating chakra to cupping a hand to her ears. It was only when she was about to give up that she realized her flaw.

_ I have to relax! That's it, the blood rushing through my ears, what little noise it generates is enough… maybe that's why she never seems irritated? She keeps herself in a state of enforced relaxation?_ Sakura shook her head. Even as a medical ninja, that was a bit far-fetched to her; but the concept seemed solid enough and so she decided to try it. The fact that she had no other options left to try only reaffirmed it as a legitimate decision. She let herself relax, breathing slowly and relaxingly, as she listened. A faint noise reached her, but it was too indistinct to determine just what it was. In her excitement at her success, she lost the new 'hearing' and cursed and swore in her mind.

_Whatever that was though…_ she mused, _I wanna hear more._ She crept closer; knowing it was risky, but uncontrollably curious about the sound. As she moved down the length of the hall, it grew louder and louder but it was still indistinct and her curiosity increased to match the sound. When she was right outside the door, it finally became clear what it was.

"Singing?" she mouthed the word, not daring to speak it aloud. She pressed her ear against the door and could hear the sound of a single voice singing softly behind it. _It's… it sounds nice… I want to hear more of it… _She barely caught herself in time as her hand reached to open the door. _What am I doing! Who knows what she'll do if she catches me snooping around? But… wait. Why was I doing that? Is it…_ she stopped and called on her experiences with Tayuya and her own knowledge of chakra control. _It is! She can sing her genjutsu too! She doesn't even need the flute… but why hide that? _She shook her head, already realizing how silly a question it was. _Of course, because anyone fighting her would be convinced that destroying the flute would guarantee their victory. They'd risk everything to get it and leave themselves at a disadvantage… that's brilliant on her part._ Sakura smiled a bit, amazed at how much more talented Tayuya was than she'd originally guessed; and she'd already guessed high given Tayuya had beaten her easily.

_This is someone who really can make me stronger._ She smiled at the thought, but then she reached for the door again. _Ah! _she pulled her hand back, _It really is a strong genjutsu to draw me in that way… _

_ It's not just that is it?_ Sakura shook her head, that same inner voice of hers telling her things she didn't want to hear. _It's lovely, I want to hear it more clearly. I've never heard singing so beautiful_.

_No! No, but I do need to risk getting caught, I've got to see if I can resist it full-strength. Not muffled through a door_… she tried to rationalize why she needed to open the door. It was a poor argument, she knew, and her internal voice was quick to point it out: _That, and I can tell her how pretty her singing is if you get caught!_ She smiled a bit and then, to her own surprise, nodded at the idea. She pressed the door open very slowly, so slow as to not make even the slightest sound. When there was enough for her to slip in, she peered in, didn't see Tayuya nearby, and so pressed in quickly and quietly.

The room itself was rather nondescript, like every other room in this base. It seemed to be a bedroom of some kind, much nicer than Sakura's own. It had another two other rooms branching off of it, though Sakura could see one was only a storage closet of some kind. She heard the singing so much clearer now and moved towards its source in the other room. Her poor argument had already failed, at this point she moved quietly only out of a desire to not interrupt the singing as opposed to not be noticed. As she neared the doorway, she finally regained control of herself.

_It really is just that much stronger the more clearly you hear it… and just that much prettier._ She was about to lean around the corner when the singing stopped. _Oh no! _Sakura pressed herself against the wall next to the opening, knowing it was best to rely on not being seen in peripheral vision than attempt hiding in such a barely-furnished room. _Wait… she's not moving… but… what? What is that? _Sakura felt a chill as suddenly the chakra she could sense tripled in intensity… and kept rising. _How can she?_ She felt as though she was going to faint it was so intense, but she kept herself together. Within another second, the sudden spike in chakra had become more stable, though it still paled Sakura's best efforts by comparison. _I've got to know…_ she peered around the corner just as the singing began anew.

The effect was startling. Sakura nearly fell to her knees at how powerful the genjutsu was this time around. _It's…_ she could barely think as it crashed over and through her in waves as the singing continued. She saw Tayuya was sitting, legs crossed as she had when she first saw her, with her back to the opening. _What's on her hands?_ She saw black markings on Tayuya's skin from what little she could see, but they suddenly glowed red and began expanding further. _What is… wait… that's like I saw on Sasuke… that's the cursed seal! But… it's growing?_ She stared, hypnotized by the sight of it and the singing as well. _It has a second level! There's more than just the first part… that means… it matches the reports from when they went to get Sasuke back! She must have-_ her thoughts were cut off as suddenly Tayuya's chakra grew even more massive.

Sakura staggered backwards, _It's too much! This is just too much! It's like…_ and the realization made her gasp noiselessly. _It's like what Sasuke and Naruto are at… that's it… this could do it… with this I could reach them. That's what I'll get from this besides all the other training! _Her heart beat wildly with joy at the prospect at a sudden method to reach the two of them again. _With that kind of power I'd be able to show them all just how much __**I**__ matter!_ She turned, fighting the genjutsu to leave and ignoring the desire to continue listening to the singing. As she got to the door, she snuck back out as noiselessly as she entered.

Inside the room still, Tayuya finished her song and looked at her hands. She saw the same dark coloration and she could feel the horns she'd grown. She sighed, knowing what she looked like right now. "I hope she finishes her work soon." she muttered and then concentrated on controlling the transformation.

]][[

Within only a few cycles, Sakura had finally figured out what she was working on. "It's the curse seal ingredients! I was right!" she had been delighted when she'd found out after combining it all on her own. "She must want to find a way to create more of it… but it's still too dangerous to use freely like Orochimaru did." She nodded and had poured herself more diligently into her work than ever before, surprising even Tayuya.

"What the fuck's gotten into you?" she'd even demanded as Sakura smiled more and more frequently.

"Thanks to you, I've got a new purpose!" She'd cheerily responded, forgetting just who it was she was talking to.

Surprisingly, instead of cuffing her again for the upbeat and enthusiastic answer, Tayuya had only nodded. "Damn right you do, I have you working. You'd better not be talking about some shitty life-goal or something."

Sakura nodded back and replied, "No no, it's your work that you gave me."

"Good. Get back to it then." Tayuya stated matter-of-factly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. _She didn't curse at all? _She stared for as long as she dared but then finished her meal without looking back at her and quickly went back to her work. She sat in front of two vials with her best attempts so far. _If my methods were successful, both of these should be detoxified… but they are still completely fatal it seems. I'd give the survival rate… one in ten? That's terrible… but… _she was shocked at the fact that she was considering herself as a test subject. _It's the only way to get that strength though… I'll take the one and then what Tayuya described has listed in her notes as "The Mind Awakening Pill" . Together that'll bring me to "Level Two", and let me control it… but it's supposed to be fatal? Something about a seal. Hmm…_ Sakura went and sketched several patterns in the floor, seals to ward off the effects as best they could. _It's a good thing I've been trained by the very best medical ninja in the world. I don't think even she'd recommend this though… but hah! I don't have to listen to her coddle me away from what's necessary anymore._

Despite her confidence, Sakura had a cold sweat. She was holding one syringe full of what could only be described as a poison in one hand and a small black pill in the other hand. She hesitated for a few minutes, her hands actually starting to tremble at the thought of what she was going to do. _Wait! _she stopped herself moments before she actually went through with her mad idea. With careful deliberation, she put down the two objects and then grabbed a piece of paper to write something down and leave it on a nearby table. "Just in case…" she told herself, and then stepped gingerly back into her circular seal, careful not to smudge any of it.

"Here goes…" she told herself and placed the syringe in her hand against her chest, pushing the needle in. She winced as it went in, drawing a tiny drop of blood. One deep breath later and she plunged the contents into herself. When the needle was empty, she pulled it from herself and tossed it aside.

Suddenly it felt as though her blood itself was on fire, she fell to her knees and her vision went blurry. "Gaaah!" she practically screamed, but the breath caught in her throat. _This is ngghh! Unreal! There's no way!_ She thrashed violently as she felt an indescribably painful sensation spread through her body from her chest all the way out to her fingers and toes, then back through her again. She saw three slightly curved lines form in a triangular pattern through her blurry vision. Her breathing ragged, but slowly coming back under her control.

"Next… part…" she gasped, knowing if she didn't force herself, she wouldn't be able to willingly subject herself to this again. She held up the small pill and considered it for a moment. _I should let my body adjust to the first stage… but my research shows this is less dangerous if you do it right away…_ and she knew that it was all-or-nothing. There was no way Tayuya wouldn't find out about this, and she wasn't about to let anyone stop her. Without letting herself contemplate the consequences or risks, she tossed the small black pellet into her mouth and swallowed it.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then with a shocking suddenness, her entire body convulsed in pain. The pain from before was a distant memory of a happy time compared to what she felt now. Her mind went blank from the agony that swept over her and she fell to her knees, arms hanging at her sides. She tried to scream but nothing came out as her teeth were locked tight together. She struggled to get even one word out, but couldn't be sure she'd even said it or not before her mind blacked in an effort to protect itself from the overwhelming suffering. _Help!_

]][[

Tayuya had heard the normal sounds of Sakura working and paid no mind until a strange scream had come from it. "What the hell did that dumbass do?" she complained and walked towards the room. No apparent haste guided her steps, as she was eager to let her foolhardy charge suffer the consequences of any stupid accidents. When she got to the room, she didn't see Sakura at first, but saw a slip of paper.

"Huh…?" she picked it up and saw it was hastily scrawled as a note… to her.

"_Tayuya, no, Nidaime Otokage… if you're reading this, I've probably failed my experiment. I had to try though. Why? I found out about your singing. It was lovely, truly beautiful, and I saw you use the curse seal while I was listening. It was the same kind of power I wanted for myself. With power like that I could be who I wanted to be. Someone strong. Someone in control of everything around them. Someone like you. I can't say I am happy with how things have turned out, but thank you. You've been everything I needed to hear and everything I needed to experience to decide my own path. So, even though you probably see me as nothing more than a burden and even though your harshness has been infuriating, thank you. Your decision to spare me gave me a chance to find a new purpose, and to try and make the most of it, I'm selfishly risking it. Forgive my rashness and if I've failed, then I wish you the best of luck with reviving the Sound. My only regret will be having not heard you sing again._"

Tayuya's face contorted in fury. "Arrogant, presumptuous, overeager, overconfident little…!" she growled, ready to look for her wayward charge and both stop her from doing whatever she was planning and then beat the idiocy out of her. She stepped forward into the lab a bit further and her eyes widened, rage dissolving instantly. "Hey…" she stopped, seeing the girl unconscious on the ground in a large seal.

"Shit! You didn't!" she ran forward, checking the girl's pulse and examining the nearby syringe. "Oh damn it, you little idiot! You tried it on yourself?" She saw a nearby collection of small black pills. "You fucking retard! You even went for level two!" She saw the darkening skin surrounding an ever-growing curse-seal on the girl's chest. "Nothing for it…" Tayuya stood, staring down at the girl's body. She would've turned and left, knowing the girl was lost and letting her accept the consequences of her foolhardy decision but something stuck out in her mind. "_My only regret_" echoed in her mind.

"…damn it." Tayuya muttered, her curse seal suddenly expanding rapidly. As her power elevated to its highest level, she clapped her hands together and three clones appeared. "Four Black Fog Battle Formation…" she concentrated on the technique. _I hope this works, I've never attempted it alone…_

]][[

Sakura's eyes fluttered open slowly. _Where… where am I? _she couldn't speak, and her vision was nothing but a blur of dark colors. _It's warm… it feels nice…_ she closed her eyes again, not in any hurry to lose the sensation and barely able to feel anything, let alone move. _What's that noise?_ something tickled at her hearing, vaguely discernable as though she was listening through cotton.

Minutes passed, or maybe hours, she couldn't be sure. She felt as though she were floating in water but couldn't tell anything else. Time passed uneventfully. _I want it to end… this is… did I die? Did I screw it up? Dammit… it was supposed to work. I was supposed to be stronger. I was supposed to be like her. Now I can't…_ Her anger grew more and more at all the things she couldn't have or wasn't able to accomplish any more. She tried to thrash with a fist against something solid enough to hit and vent her frustration.

Light suddenly blinded her as her hand touched something solid. _Wha?_ Sound rushed in, suddenly clear. Her body was heavy, stiff, sore, and strange. She could move again, all her sensations rushing back to her. The clear sound was the first and most important thing to her, however, before she even opened her eyes. It was singing.

"Ta…yu… ya…?" she weakly gasped out, interrupting the song.

"Don't move. Don't try anything…" a familiar voice replied and suddenly she felt a soft hand behind her head, helping her to rest it somewhere soft.

"Wha… what… happened?" she could barely form the words, and was trying to blink clarity into her vision.

"You're a fucking idiot… you know that?" the tone was not filled with its usual scorn, it sounded… different, somehow.

Sakura blinked again and finally could see more clearly. She was lying on her back, her head in Tayuya's lap. The position made her uneasy, but when she saw the face looking down at her, she balked slightly at the sight of it. _What's… what's this?_ Tayuya's face was darkened entirely, the skin an entirely different color, her eyes were gold-in-black and she had horns coming from her hair. "Why do you…?"

"Look like this?" Tayuya finished for her. "It's the cursed seal level two, it changes your appearance wildly." She looked away, and for the first time since Sakura had seen her, she actually looked like she was upset.

"You look…"

"Like a monster, I know." Tayuya finished for her again, her voice a little shaky.

"No… you look… beautiful…" Sakura managed weakly, but with enough conviction to show she truly meant it. Another 'first' followed it as she saw Tayuya's eyes widen and her cheeks darken slightly.

"Wha-what the hell are you blabbering about? You're half-dead! It's a god damned surprise you didn't just fucking die from that little experiment of yours!" she quickly shouted. Sakura realized what that strange tone was: concern.

"I… I heard something." Tayuya tilted her head in confusion at Sakura's response. "It was your singing… I couldn't die while I was hearing it… it's too wonderful."

Tayuya fully blushed at that comment. She looked around almost as if in a panic. "Why did you fucking do it?" she tried desperately to change the subject.

"To be like you." Sakura whispered, still not in good control of her body, but now trying to sit up.

"I said don't move!" A hand gently pressed down on her chest to keep her still. Sakura reached for that hand, grabbing it with both of hers and practically hugging it, despite her weakened condition. "Damn it Sakura… you almost died."

Sakura's eyes shot wide open and a couple of tears trailed down her cheeks as she felt herself suddenly hugged tightly. _She called me my name… that's the first time… and she's hugging… _Sakura's mind just couldn't process it all at once.

Tayuya, as if suddenly aware of how she was acting, all at once pushed Sakura back onto the floor and stood up. She folded her arms and turned away. "Well, since you just had to go and fucking experiment on yourself, I guess I have to teach you how to control this."

"I-" Sakura began, but Tayuya cut her off again.

"Such a pain in my ass, if I'd wanted you to do it to yourself, I'd have prepared for that, you're making me fucking work now on making you more than a shitty spoiled brat."

"I-"

"You didn't even finish your fucking work before you did it either, did you?"

"Tayuya!" she shouted weakly, surprising the ranting redhead. "I did… I finished it. This is the 'seal of earth' as your notes called it. I removed all the poison elements that aren't integral to it. There's no… corruption, you called it."

"Impressive work then. Guess you get to reap all the benefits huh? Thanks for nothing bitch. That wasn't what I wanted it for." Tayuya sounded extremely bitter.

_What is it… oh. I get it. The cursed seal is still poisonous in her… but I know how to… _Sakura realized at last. "Tayuya… I can cure its damaging effects in you. I know how now."

"Oh? Well, we'll just have to see about that. Until then, clean this mess up. If you want to live like a fucking pig, do it on your own… Sakura." and then Tayuya left without another word. Sakura, still lying on the floor, smiled. She held up a hand weakly and saw the same darkened color slowly receding. _It changed me too? What did I look like?_

She sat up slowly and checked the usual clock she'd been using. It had been nearly three hours since she'd injected herself. _She… she was here for most of that and in her level two form? How hard did she work to keep me alive?_ Sakura wiped away the drying tears. "I won't let you down Tayuya. That's twice now I owe you my life. I promise I'll make it count." She felt such a strong surge of loyalty having seen that Tayuya really did have at least some concern for her subordinates. She also felt a different lingering sensation, but wasn't quite sure if she was ready to face that one yet. _Still… I wouldn't mind feeling those arms around me again…_

]][[

Kakashi held up a hand to stop Karin. "Someone's coming. Get ready, they aren't one of ours!" He issued the order quickly and saw the girl quickly fall into a combat ready stance. _She's improved there markedly! _he had a moment to observe it before the figure staggered into the clearing.

_Akatsuki!_ both Kakashi and Karin observed from the red cloud pattern on black robes. It was a woman; Konan, the reports had named her. Kakashi held up a hand signaling Karen to stand back and let him handle this.

"Please, I come in peace. We don't have much time." the blue-haired girl practically begged.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi responded, still combat-ready.

"Madara is on the move, and he's not alone." Konan replied grimly.

]][[

_What's left of Akatsuki brings with it a terrible omen! Madara makes the first move!_

]][[

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.6/END


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:**

Imagine my surprise (again) that it'd take me a year plus to actually update my own story! However, as I believe I stated before, I'll never abandon a writing project once I've started it without first telling all the people who've followed it that it has stopped. The only way a work I've started and posted will be cut off is either with an announcement or if I'm incapacitated/dead. My life has taken so many unexpected turns that it isn't something I can even accurately begin to explain... so let me sum up. I'm happy as can be and everything's looking aces! I'm engaged to the woman of my dreams! I've graduated! I'm job hunting! Err, last part is not so 'happy' but hey, better than nothing. So yeah, busy busy BUSY year, apologies it took me so long. With that, I'll cut the lengthy rambling and just get straight to it. You've all waited long enough. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait and hopefully, for once, I can update rather quickly after this one! Enjoy!

**End Author's Notes**

Comment Responses:

: Well, despite the loooong stretch of time before I was able to give them their next meal, hopefully the plot bunnies in this particular chapter will be fed to their satisfaction and that they won't have to wait so long to eat again!

sKyLaR KnIgHt: Thanks for your appreciation and concern, I'm happy to say that, even though things haven't been easy, they've definitely improved! I'm happy to have your support and hope this chapter continues to be worth reading and enjoyable.

craven34: I'm truly happy you're enjoying the story and I hope you will continue to do so. There are a lot of connections to be drawn and I'd think any good writer throws in a mess of red herrings and other things to keep the reader guessing and drawing their own conclusions. The whole principle behind a page turner is that it'll keep the reader going, and I'm really happy to hear that my work is good enough to keep you roped in and even speculating about possible endings! Only time will tell how accurate your guesses are, but I can definitely say I look forward to reading more responses from you with further speculations. Things like that are excellent to see for the writer. As for Tayuya and Sakura, I'm glad that's meeting with such heavy praise from my readers, it was a big risk putting those two in as such primary focal points in the story and I imagined a lot of people would be heavily put off by the implications there thus far, but I'm relieved to see it not only works but makes a fitting amount of sense. If it can impress a person normally not interested in Sakura, then my mission is accomplished. I always felt her character made no sense in the original, so it is a success in my book if I managed to turn that around! Hope you keep reading and this chapter makes it all the better. Thank you for the excellent review!

Meech Macko: I appreciate the compliment, hopefully I can clear up some of the confusions there in subsequent chapters. For now I will say you're definitely on to something with Naruto not being able to save everyone. As for Sakura not being able to last, I wouldn't count her out just yet. Things may be taking a very different turn for her and the most recent chapters suggest some shocking new developments for her. As for Tsunade keeping her under surveillance, it isn't impossible to sneak out if you know you're being watched. Disabling Shizune also helped her quite a bit too!

Mugin: Yeah, hard to predict when an update can actually get done. Sometimes real life has a way of making itself vastly more important and more necessary than a hobby. Fortunately I should be able to update a bit more frequently. Here's hoping! Glad you like the fic in the meantime too.

Nezumi0505: Couples developing is always a plus, I am hoping to give a lot of the couples/characters the focus they never really got but deserved from the manga. There is a lot of evidence and room for their development that was never explored or utilized in the manga I feel. One of the biggest things I can say about using a war element in a story is that you have to be able to see how it effects not just the protagonist, but the people around them as well. It is rare to see it accomplished successfully, but I'm glad my writing continues to do that for you and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it as time wears on! Sorry for the delay in the update, hopefully this chapter continues to expand on all the things you like.

Hungry AL: I'll admit that some skimming goes into reading for some people, but skipping over entire sections like that seems a bit... I don't know, pointless? I mean, if you're only reading it for one character, doesn't that devalue the writing as a whole? I'm not trying to defend my own work or insist you read it so much as I'm just wondering what would motivate you to completely ignore parts of it. For example, if one skips all the sections of Stephen Crane's "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets" that aren't written from her perspective, you lose a fair chunk of the novel that is every bit as involving as the rest.

nightwolfsilver: Not a harem story I'm afraid, if it is what you're looking for then you won't really find it. Samui wasn't even really fleshed out all that much to work with in the first place. I might work her in later, but as for Naruto, he's not the kind of person who would pursue multiple relationships, even with the blessings of his chosen partner. So, my apologies, but that will not be happening in this work.

thenick1084: Like all the other instances, I'm truly glad people are enjoying the changes I've worked with Sakura and the addition of Tayuya to the plot. No worries about what the curse seal looked like, you'll see in time and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Past that, I have to admit I agree with seeing each of the original Team Seven standing in their own field, a triangle instead of a line with Sakura just playing jump rope bouncing up and down on any serious issues. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait.

missmanga90: I'd imagine that not everyone is as seriously concerned about Karin as you might imagine. Neji knows that Hinata got rejected in favor of the new arrival. In that instance, it'd make sense if you avoided someone because you couldn't help but think ill of them at that point even if they didn't deserve it from you. I'm glad the rest of my writing connects with itself and the story flows without too many heavy deviations. Believability is, in my opinion, one of the key elements of a well-crafted fanfiction. It is important to make the reader feel as though something from the original author is still what they are reading. I'm glad to I've, at least in some small extent, succeeded and I hope that this chapter continues to live up to those expectations.

Zarethuzumi: It is important to not just discount things quickly. While mangas and animes can quickly just turn a blind eye to issues (such as Hinata's confession) for dozens upon dozens of chapters; to keep readers interested I want to make sure characters act like they would if they were real! I'm really glad to hear that you also like the connections I've drawn between Sakura and Sasuke. It's just a logical leap in my mind considering how far she went in her overzealous worship of him and inability to think ill of him. I truly hope you'll continue to read this story and that it continues to impress you. Thanks for the review!

Headsupdisplay: I think you need to read a bit more closely, if you are bothering to check back in. You've made a couple of large mistakes in your interpretation and readings, and not on an opinion basis. Firstly, the supposition made before the first chapter states that the events following the 'initial' chapter would not be regarded as canon unless I myself used them. With that stated: Karin is not, as of yet in my work if at all, an Uzumaki. Similarly, you've misintepreted or misread the statement about her bloodline expansion. It is compared to a space-time jutsu in terms of raw power and possibility, it is not labelled as one. Kakashi stated that he understood why he needed to be present as to train a bloodline expansion on even-footing requires extraordinary power; something like his Kamui would be necessary to balance against it. So, while your mistakes have lead you to disregard this story, I do hope you reconsider as you've made an incredibly harsh, premature, and inaccurate dismissal. So, in response to your statement: "...i know what road this story going down and its not an good one. still good idea and first 4 chaps after that well you know"... Nope, can't say that I do. I have no idea what I'm supposed to know or what road you see it going down, but if you can read the subsequent chapters and review again to tell me, I'd appreciate that.

Everyone: Sorry it took so long to update!

End Comment Responses

* * *

**Naruto: Spiral Heart**

_Chapter 7: _Revenant of War

"Well, this is just about where we started... isn't it?" a man with white hair sarcastically drawled.

"..."

"Oh come on, say something. You've been moping this entire time. Does Sasuke matter _that_ much?"

The other man, one with orange hair, finally opened his mouth to reply: "He carries Kimimaro's will... that's important."

"Is it? Looks to me like he carries Sasuke's will and maybe Madara's. Past that, he's no friend to anyone."

"You wouldn't understand, Suigetsu."

"What wouldn't I understand? That he's become a crazed killer hellbent on his own goals; goals that, last time I checked, don't make much sense!" The man called Suigetsu grinned, showing off sharpened teeth reminiscent of a shark. "Besides, even if I don't, I'll tell you what I do understand... we need to get out of here... and soon. So c'mon, what do you say? Last chance Jugo, otherwise I'm leaving you in here."

"Fine. Let's break out of here and then figure out what comes next. One step at a time..." the orange-haired Jugo stood slowly. "How do you propose to do it?"

"Do what?" The lock clicked open and Jugo noticed that his partner in the dark jail cell had long since used his water-morphism abilities to slip a part of himself inside the lock and work on picking it open. Suigetsu's grin grew even larger as he moved towards the now open door. "Oh, and by the way, we're stopping to pick up my sword first. I need that."

"Your obsession with that weapon will get you killed one of these days." Jugo casually commented.

"Oh, probably. It'd be best if I could die wielding it against the one who is to inherit it. That's how these things work." Suigetsu looked around in the hall he was in for a moment, as if considering, before he shouted: "Any of you know where they store confiscated items?" A general groan was the only response he received. "Thanks a lot, useless bastards." Jugo only shook his head in dismay at Suigetsu's antics. "Alright, new plan."

Minutes later, Jugo and Suigetsu together had surprised and incapacitated a samurai guard. Suigetsu had to use Jugo's transformation as a threat to intimidate the location of the sword out of the hapless samurai. At long last, Suigetsu was finally in possession of his sword once more.

"Oh it is good to be holding this again! I was worried those samurai would've completely trashed it since they thought it was broken!" The white-haired man was visibly relieved, practically hugging the half of a sword.

"It isn't?" Jugo asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion

"Of course not, you don't think one of the Seven Swords of the Mist would be so easy to destroy, do you? These aren't exactly just famous for how they are shaped or how they look. This sword for example..." Suigetsu paused and looked around momentarily. "Actually... let's have this talk after we're out of here... I think I hear more Samurai coming."

]][[

Several hours later, Jugo and Suigetsu sat, panting and nursing wounds on a snowy foothill several miles from the jail they'd been in. "Do you think Karin made it?" Jugo finally broke the silence.

"Who cares? I hope not. She was only tagging along to try and get laid anyway."

"That's cruel, you know we all had our own reasons for following Sasuke anyways. Yours is no different."

"Ugh fine, yes, she probably did. She's too good at hiding and as long as she's still useful to Sasuke, he'll keep her alive even if he doesn't care one bit about her."

"That's good... in a sense. So now I believe I should head on my way, and you on yours..." Jugo stood and made to depart, even though he didn't truly have any idea where he was headed.

"Wait a sec, I have a proposal for ya." Suigetsu made no motion to stand, as though he didn't truly care whether Jugo stayed or left.

"What is it?" Jugo paused, turning on the spot, but not walking back; always one to show his thoughts through his movements.

"We're criminals right?" The swordsman didn't wait for a reply, knowing the answer already. "So it doesn't make sense to walk around without someone to watch our respective backs. I've also gotten a lot better with this sword, so I'm confident that I can stop your rages just as Sasuke could which means you sort of need me around."

"I've gotten better at controlling myself since then." Jugo replied, still not making any motion to return.

"Alright true, I'll give you that. Still, it could be important at some point and you know it." When he saw the orange-haired man pause to consider it, he pressed on. "My goal, if it wasn't obvious, was to reestablish the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I could use your help."

"You want me to wield one of those blades?" Jugo asked as he half-turned, genuinely surprised.

"Oh hell no, swords aren't really your thing." Suigetsu practically laughed, but quickly stifled it and kept talking when he saw Jugo turn to leave again. "But! I know you're a good judge of people's abilities, you'd make an excellent sparring partner for candidates, and to top it all off, it's going to mean a **lot** of traveling!"

"Why would I care about any of that?" Jugo turned back to face Suigetsu, more curious as to the reasoning behind it than interested in his partner's proposal.

"I thought you enjoyed that sort of thing, it'd give you a chance to 'find yourself' more or less and do it in a risk-free fashion. Aside from that, like I said, we're wanted criminals. All of the villages want us dead for attacking the Kage Summit and whatever is left of Akatsuki probably doesn't want us around because then it'd be easier to manipulate Sasuke, right? I don't doubt for one second that Madara wanted us out of the picture regardless. We got in the way by giving Sasuke something but darkness and solitude. Think of it this way, if we survive, we help Sasuke by being able to potentially reunite with him somewhere along our travels; and we stand better odds of surviving if we work together. Since you don't have a goal and I do, it makes sense that you follow me!" Suigetsu folded his arms, proud of his own argument and certain he'd convinced the other man to agree.

"No. I refuse." Jugo turned to leave.

"H-hey! Hold on a minute!" Suigetsu stood up and started to follow the other man.

"Why? You haven't proven anything of what you've said and I have no interest in your swords." Jugo turned, half his face already darkening. "For your benefit, I recommend you let me go."

"No way, time to show you that I mean business-" Suigetsu's body suddenly bulked up, his technique bolstering his physique for what he knew was coming.

"-and finish what we started in that prison!" Jugo screamed as he launched himself at Suigetsu, slamming suddenly bladed limbs towards the white-haired man. Without missing a step, Suigetsu slipped out of the way of the first blow and parried the follow-ups with the remains of his sword. A second later he brought the flat of the blade down on Jugo's skull, slamming the orange-haired man-turned-beast into the ground roughly with a sickening _Crack! _that echoed in the snowy stillness.

"Shame I can't just kill you too, but I need you alive. If there's one thing I learned from Sasuke and Orochimaru, it's that you don't waste talent." Suigetsu sighed, letting his physique diminish again as the new color drained away from Jugo, indicating the man's submission... or unconsciousness. "Idiot... I'm a water specialist and snow, despite how much harder it is to use for that..." he picked up a handful of the powdery ice and stuffed it into his mouth before gulping it down, "...is water."

]][[

More than a month passed. Jugo's stubbornness had carried on for nearly a week before Suigetsu finally convinced him he was capable enough of subduing him. The conflicts had also revealed the true secret of his sword. Each time blood was spilled on the Decapitator, the blade repaired itself slowly and surely from the iron within the blood. Suigetsu and Jugo had formed quite the pair after their conflicts, becoming more and more capable of fighting in tandem and discarding their origins as "Snake" or "Hawk" or whatever foolish name Sasuke had decided they would have been by now. The two men had also traveled substantially, but Suigetsu had acquired nothing of what he sought after.

"It's been forever and we haven't had any luck. I'm better at controlling myself now than I ever was, so I want out." Jugo had been complaining for nearly a week now and finally seemed serious about the issue.

"No. I told you. We're in this together, I'm sure we're about to find something." Suigetsu replied, as he always had. Moments later he was sent spiraling into the rock of a nearby cliff face. Groaning, he pulled himself up off the ground and shook the rocks off. "Guess you're serious this time huh Ju-" his reply was cut off as another blow hurled him further into the rock. Liquifying his body to minimize the damage, Suigetsu reformed himself when his surroundings didn't add up to his expectations. _What the...?_ He looked around, sparing a moment to realize he was now inside some kind of laboratory that had been cleverly hidden inside the rock. "I'll be damned! The snake had lairs everywhere!" He shouted. "Jugo! Jugo knock that it off, we've found something!"

Jugo, lost in his rage as he was, did not heed his words in the slightest and surged forward to keep attacking, regardless of the peculiarity of their new surroundings. Suigetsu simply sighed and, embracing the oncoming assault almost as if a hug, used his liquified body to strangle his partner after he'd crashed into him. "Would you cut it out already?" A muffled choked reply was the only response he got. He took that as an admission of defeat and let his gasping comrade drop to the ground, clutching his throat. "Look at this! We found one of Orochimaru's hidden labs! This is just what we needed!"

"H-how... do you... figure?" Jugo gasped, slowly regaining control of himself once more.

"Well, the serpent had his nose in everything, so I figure he'll have clues we need for what's going on and for where I can acquire the swords themselves."

"You don't... really think that... do you?"

"Of course I do and so should you. Don't you realize how many experiments he ran on us? Why wouldn't he have information on just about everything in the world? He was with Akatsuki for a while too, which could give us a valuable edge." Suigetsu had already begun rummaging through the items on the shelves and reading scrolls he found.

"You should be careful..." Jugo wheezed, slowly gathering himself up off the floor and looking around cautiously. "Orochimaru surely set traps..."

"Not a chance. The man was the trap. If you were dumb enough to stick your nose in his affairs then you were openly declaring that you wanted to piss off a Sannin and his deranged, surgery-happy minion - something most sane people would be against." Suigetsu casually observed, demonstrating no concern for his own well-being even as he continued to search the room. Jugo watched patiently, choosing to remain near the opening he'd made; he was torn between becoming involved with Suigetsu's schemes and simply leaving while the white-haired swordsman was distracted.

"Hey. Jugo." Suigetsu's tone made it clear something was he was suddenly and deeply disturbed.

"What is it?" Jugo replied, surprised at the sudden calm of his partner's voice.

"There's information here that... well... no, I refuse to believe this. Here. Take a look." Suigetsu limply tossed the scroll to Jugo while staring forward, not bothering to turn his head. He continued to browse the scrolls ahead of him and the strange containers, as if confirming what he just read.

Jugo caught the scroll and began reading: "Studies indicate a... Akatsuki has access to uh huh... ...wait a second... Senju cells? Hashirama? The first Hokage?" The orange-haired man let the scroll hang in one hand. "How? Why? What does this have to do with anything?"

Suigetsu nodded. "Think about it, Orochimaru was after eternal life... we know he experimented with the wood release. That's where that Yamato guy came from." He saw Jugo's confusion and caught himself. "I keep forgetting, you were locked in a cell and never heard any of the gossip and rumors the rest of us did." When he saw Jugo nod, he continued. "Orochimaru never wanted to die. Immortality, that was his gig, and he discovered the way was somewhere with Yin and Yang chakra manipulations. Ya know, like the Sage of Six Paths did way back at the beginning of everything."

Jugo continued nodding, but then shook his head suddenly. "So what?"

"So what? So '_what'_? Are you serious? I'm talking about how Orochimaru came close to figuring out immortality! He stumbled with his transference technique and with his impure world resurrection, but he wasn't far away! I think if we dig into this we can really find something phenomenal. Although..." He eyed the scroll curiously for a moment.

Jugo shook his head again. "Now you want to live forever?"

"Hell no! I've got no interest in that, I saw what it led the snake to doing. That road is full of all kinds of unpleasant living conditions I'm not fond of. I'll take being immortal through legend. More my style anyway." Suigetsu laughed and continued: "No, don't you get it? This is the kind of stuff that Madara guy is after. We've got an edge!"

"You mean to oppose one of our many former employers?" Jugo, still confused, asked, a pattern starting to spread on his face to show his impatience at Suigetsu's rambling.

"Actually... yeah. I do." Suigetsu seemed to have surprised even himself and Jugo's reaction showed just as much shock at the sudden notion. "But..." Suigetsu continued, "I can't do it alone. That... and these notes, they're not the snake's style. This is Kabuto's doing... and that _can't _be good."

"You, of all people, want to save the world?" Jugo walked closer, intent on discovering if his traveling partner was under a genjutsu or some effect.

"Nah, not a chance." Suigetsu laughed, "I just don't want that Madara asshole or Sasuke to spoil it all before I get to reform the Seven Swordsmen."

Jugo actually joined in the laughter, bringing Suigetsu's to a sudden halt in shock at the sight of his partner actually laughing. "So you _are_ Suigetsu, after all. I was worried a clone had taken his place."

Suigetsu frowned. "Not funny Jugo! I'm serious, if that Madara guy gets this, who knows what he could do. Worse, who knows what Kabuto is already doing with all this. This is beyond us." He kept searching scrolls, "It's gotta be here somewhere."

"What?" Jugo asked, sobering from his laughter.

"I found more peculiarly interesting items. Notably, that rat Kabuto was into more than just surgery. Turns out he's a mortician in his spare time." Suigetsu heard a tapping and saw his companion becoming impatient with his arms folded. "Edo Tensei! Edo Tensei is what I mean, jeez you're thick sometimes."

"Go on." Jugo demanded.

"He's gotten quite a repertoire of dead ninja to summon with that technique of his... and one of them is one I need to meet." Suigetsu continued to rummage the shelves.

"You aren't seriously asking me to-"

"Found it!" Suigetsu held up a black scroll. "Jugo, wanna do me a favor?"

"You're kidding..." Jugo took the scroll slowly, more to get it out of Suigetsu's hands than anything.

"Nope. This is a very... ah... personal matter to me. I can't do it myself though if what all this research says is the case." Suigetsu tested the grip on his reformed sword. "Let's begin."

"I never said I'd help you with this..." Jugo frowned.

"But you never said you wouldn't!" Suigetsu smirked.

]][[

Suigetsu was grinning again as Jugo performed the ritual, having been against it the entire time and even still uncertain. _Lucky for us there's no shortage of fools who try and hunt missing-nins they can't beat... not so lucky for him though_. He thought as he watched the technique overcome and transform the helpless man. "Here we go..." he whispered, gripping his sword tightly.

"It's... tougher to control than... I thought!" Jugo grunted, the person in front of him suddenly adopting an appearance that resembled Suigetsu very closely aside from some small differences.

"Mangetsu... one of the greatest swordsmen who ever graced the Seven." There was admiration in the white-haired man's voice as he looked at the almost-reflection of himself. "Hey brother... sorry to drag you out of the grave, but I need the swords and know you were the bearer." Suigetsu somberly moved forward.

"Look out!" Jugo shouted as he fell backwards, "I couldn't bind him!"

Suigetsu had only a moment to register the words before a blow sent him spiraling into the rock wall of the hideout they'd set up as a temporary base for this plan. _I am getting sick of being thrown into these damn walls!_ Ignoring most of the damage through liquefaction, he leapt to his feet. "You know that won't work!" He shouted, suddenly aware he wasn't facing a husk of his brother, but the real skill and mind.

"It wasn't supposed to Suigetsu." The other replied, holding the Decapitator.

"When did you-?!" Suigetsu checked to confirm that he was actually missing the sword. _Damn he's fast... faster than I remember even._ He dusted himself off and noticed Jugo was hanging back as he approached the now-armed figure of his 'zombie' brother.

"You're a fool. Why do you think I'd give a failure like you access to the swords? You're not even worthy of this one." Mangetsu said, flatly, as he appraised the sword he'd taken during the attack. "The Decapitator... so Zabuza is dead then?"

"Yeah," Suigetsu began but was cut off.

"You didn't kill him."

"No."

"What a travesty. These swords are supposed to taste the blood of their wielder in succession. It's the only way. They are meant for demons of mist, not for children." Mangetsu bared his teeth, revealing the same sharpened points that every one of the Swordsmen of the Mist bore. "Be a good brother and impale yourself on it in shame." He tossed the sword casually to the ground in front of Suigetsu.

"Never were much for civil discussion were you brother?" Suigetsu bared his teeth right back at him. "Not a bad idea, bathing it in the blood of its wielder, but Zabuza isn't around, so you'll have to do!" Suigetsu shouted as he snatched the sword from the ground while charging forward.

Mangetsu smiled wider, taking on a distinctly predatory appearance and drew a scroll from his side. Moments later, in a puff of smoke, he was holding a pair of swords readied to block the incoming swing. _Shit!_ Suigetsu had only a moment to reverse his grip to stop his own swing and throw the sword forward while he crouched and slid forward. The desperate move paid off as his brother blocked the thrown weapon with the pair of swords, a violent flash of blue lightning illuminated the room briefly as Suigetsu slid between his legs and rose behind him with a kick that sent his brother hurtling through the air.

"So! You keep them in that scroll! That's clever, beats carrying them around!" Suigetsu stepped forward gingerly, retrieving the Decapitator and avoiding the twin swords on the ground.

"You've gotten better Suigetsu. You must have fought a lightning-user recently. You always used to be terrible at dealing with the Fangs." Mangetsu stood slowly, collecting himself as if in no apparent hurry to resume fighting.

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." Suigetsu found himself actually proud to hear the praise and felt a strange relief sparring with his brother again. _How many years has it been?_ he wondered idly. "So now what?"

"We've all died, haven't we?" Mangetsu asked quietly, staring intently.

"Yeah... well... I'm not sure about Kisame. He's a slippery bastard."

"Damnit. The Swordsmen are in shambles if that brat Chojuro is the only one still standing." The man held the scroll in his hand for a moment, considering it.

"I wanna bring them back." Suigetsu said. "I want the Swordsmen to walk and be known in the Ninja world once more."

"Of course you do, but why should I help you?" his brother replied.

"Because it is that, or those swords might wind up as someone else' plaything. We used that technique to bring you back, others could too." Suigetsu put the Decapitator back in its place on his back, not feeling any hostility anymore and sensing it wouldn't be needed. "Besides, if someone else binds you and summons the others... and they could - we found their remains too - then your inaction will make slaves out of the Swordsmen." Mangetsu started. _Oh that got his attention..._ Suigetsu thought, _come on brother, you've gotta pass it on. _A long, quiet moment passed where neither said anything.

"Alright. They're yours to do with as you'll see fit. Better you than some bastard with no respect for these weapons, even if you are an amateur still." Mangetsu chided, but then held up a single finger. "One condition." He saw Suigetsu frown, noting that his brother had thought he was in the clear. "Find them a new home. They're the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist no longer, that has long past."

Suigetsu chuckled, "Hell, half of you were missing-nins before you died..." but immediately dropped the humorous attitude when he saw the stern look on his brother's face.

"That's my point. The Mist couldn't control us. Find a better destiny for them, but always remember where they came from." Mangetsu smiled when he saw the nod from his brother. "Good," he tossed the scroll containing the rest of the swords he had carried across the room, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to kill you."

"I've gotten stronger, I don't think you could... big brother." Suigetsu said, smiling again.

"I know." Mangetsu replied, smiling, "but don't think you're there yet. You've got a ways to go before you can really be a demon... little brother."

The moment was cut off suddenly by a flash of light that left the corpse of the original ninja that had attempted to bring Suigetsu and Jugo to justice lying on the floor as Mangetsu was released from the technique. "Did you do that?" Suigetsu turned Jugo, furious at his brother's disappearance.

"No... it seems if they find peace, they release themselves." Jugo observed.

"Oh." Suigetsu calmed visibly, "Oh... well, that's good to know about that technique. See? Totally worth it."

"For you, maybe." Jugo huffed.

"Oh don't be that way, you and I both know that 'his' remains were among them. You can speak to your friend again." Suigetsu busied himself collecting the swords and returning them to the scroll, visibly relieved that he didn't have to haul the Decapitator around anymore. When he saw Jugo bristle at the remark he added: "Not that we have to disturb him, I'm just saying now we know that Kabuto, and probably Madara, both have the ability to bring him back."

"..."

"And that you can bring him to peace without fighting him." Suigetsu added generously, still trying to figure out how it worked in his head.

"That's true..." Jugo stared at the black scroll in his hand. "This is a horrible technique."

"Aww, don't say that. A technique is just another tool, put it in good hands and it does good - we just saw that, didn't we?"

Jugo looked at his white-haired companion without blinking for a few moments. "Do you mean that?"

"Uh... yeah?" confused, Suigetsu looked around as if to see something that was arguing his point.

"Thank you." Jugo smiled.

"You're welcome?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at his orange-haired companion. Jugo merely sighed, not losing his smile as he motioned for Suigetsu to lead the way. "You okay? That technique didn't do anything funny to you, did it?"

"No, I'm fine. Lead on, I'm sure you have a destination in mind..." Jugo dismissed Suigetsu's questions with a wave of his hand.

"Actually... no." Suigetsu shrugged. "I didn't even think getting the swords would go so smoothly. I was expecting to wind up needing a month of rest after that. Instead I'm still ready to fight... kind of anticlimactic actually..."

"Well, perhaps I have a suggestion then... if we need to forge our own path, then why not seek out a place of eager assistance and squandered talent?" Jugo smiled when he saw Suigetsu nod.

"Sure." He paused, adding, "Where'd that be?"

"Somewhere we both had no intention of returning to... follow me." Jugo stepped out of the hideout, leaving Suigetsu standing alone in the dark. Clenching the scroll, Suigetsu smiled and moved to leave, muttering as he left:

"Don't worry brother, the legend of these swords and their bearers is far from over."

]][[

"Of course, that was all months ago, you understand." Suigetsu smiled, leaning his chair back and resting his feet on the table. He was in a very dark room, the only source of illumination coming from a single candle that did little to paint anything more than silhouettes of those inside. Across the table his feet rested on were two women, one wearing the robes of a kage, and the other stood silently behind in a bodyguard position. _Huh, shame Jugo doesn't have my back quite so thoroughly..._ he thought as he looked to see his traveling companion sitting next to him, upright and attentive.

Jugo's idea had been simplistic, Suigetsu had to admit, but now he sat across from someone he wasn't sure he could beat in a fight and realized he was very much at their mercy. _"We'll go find whatever is left of the Sound and bring it under our guidance. You'll find your volunteers and I might find what I'm looking for." he'd said. Well, who'd have thought someone beat us to the punch... and not just by a little bit! This is a full-fledged Kage; even I can tell this chick means business... not to mention the bodyguard. I wonder if the rumors are really true...?_ He brought his attention back as the robed figure cleared her throat and repeated herself.

"Why did you seek us out?" the kage asked.

"Ask the big fellow, his idea." Suigetsu chuckled.

"Jugo... was it?" The bodyguard questioned, to which the kage only turned as if to inspect her partner momentarily before directing her attention to the larger silhouette on Suigetsu's side of the table.

"It is. We're looking for allies. There's a war brewing and it pays to not be caught as random bystanders. Especially as bystanders with power, since they have a way of getting drawn into it whether they want to or not. I'd rather we became involved of our own accord. Similarly, Suigetsu wants to find a home for his newly-rebuilt Seven Swordsmen." Jugo spoke at length, something that surprised his partner for the way he was usually reserved and quiet.

"Hey hey! They didn't need to know about that!" he shouted and angrily motioned at Jugo. "It's a bargaining position when you don't reveal your strengths and goals!"

"That's fine. We already knew of your goals and aims Suigetsu, though you may wish to work on acquiring **all** of the swords before you continue with such a wild dream." the bodyguard observed.

"Well, don't you think you know everything! As it turns out, I already have them all!" Suigetsu smirked.

"Impossible." the kage retorted calmly, watching the man visibly frown, even in the gloom. "Chojuro of the Mist has Hiramekarei, and Kisame's Samehada is currently in the possession of the 8-tails Host."

Suigetsu huffed loudly, "Well maybe I've got a plan for getting those."

Jugo chimed in, "Now who's revealing their bargaining position?" After seeing Suigetsu's embarrassed look for a moment, he continued, not allowing his partner a chance to reply. "Regardless, you've heard our proposal. What's your response?"

On the other side of the table, under the ceremonial garb of the Kage, the individual made a small series of taps to communicate with her guard. She was pleased to discover that she'd been observing the one called Jugo as intently as she'd hoped. The response was clear, they'd be a valuable addition to what they were forming here. After a long and deliberate silence, the kage stood. "Your proposal is acceptable; we'll help your goals as long as you're loyal to us... although..." and the figure shed the robes and hat of a kage to reveal a black jounin-styled vest underneath and a length of wild, red hair, "you need to fucking learn to negotiate a hell of a lot better than that before I ever let you do any damn talking for me. Silence is golden and you shitheads don't have a clue when to shut the hell up." She turned to leave after the verbal barrage.

Suigetsu and Jugo bristled at the language, but almost without visibly moving the bodyguard had interposed herself between them and the departing Kage, a pair of gloved fists moving into a combat-ready stance. "Stand down, no need to kill them. Welcome, Suigetsu and Jugo, to the Hidden Sound."

Suigetsu grinned and Jugo couldn't help but smile. Slowly, the bodyguard lowered her hands, whispering quietly enough that only trained ears could hear her barely vocalized noises: "Are you sure we can trust them, Otokage?"

The response was equally muted but unmistakably Tayuya's voice: "of course we can you idiot, Suigetsu is harmless... the one to watch is that savage beast Jugo, but I'm putting him under your supervision. Find out what you can about the curse seal from its source." There was a pause, before: "I'm counting on you."

She bowed low, "As you command." In her normal voice, the bodyguard continued, "Come on, I'll show you two your quarters."

"Naturally, but pardon my asking, who're we following?" Suigetsu was generally curious, he knew who the Otokage was, surprising as it may have been; he'd heard of the Sound Four, they were strong but never at _that_ level. Still, that kind of language made it impossible to miss, that _was_ Tayuya. _Someone's been busy the past few years..._ he mused to himself. On the other hand, he had no idea who Tayuya had recruited since starting her grand mission to rebuild the Sound into something she could use in some fashion.

"Sakura." the reply was as curt as he would expect from a subordinate of someone like Tayuya.

Suigetsu followed quietly, thinking. _That's Sakura? The same Sakura that Sasuke mentioned once or twice? The lovesick idiot that couldn't be counted on to do anything right? I'd heard some nasty rumors about people the Sound had in service while we were trying to set up a meeting, but... she doesn't seem to fit the descriptions one bit. Gentle and hey... not so bad on the eyes... this is one of those missing nins from the Leaf that always turns out to be monstrously powerful? I don't buy it for a second..._ He muttered to Jugo over his shoulder, "I don't know why we bothered with this lot again, we can probably do better somewhere else..."

Jugo's reply was no surprise: "We're considered enemies of every major nation after attacking the Kage Summit, you didn't have any better ideas."

"Yeah, but this lot doesn't seem so much capable as cold and insulting." Suigetsu whispered.

The person leading them stopped, turning her head only enough to glare at them with one eye. As she spoke, her pink hair moved and the two of them saw the unmistakable pattern of a curse-seal spread along the sides of her face, only the first level and nowhere near fully spread, but still present. "I would learn to speak far more quietly before I go badmouthing your benefactors if I were you." She turned away to lead them again, "I'm nicer than the Otokage by far, and you still don't want to cross me."

Jugo's interest had been peaked, however, "That curse-seal..." he began.

"Yes, it is derived from your ability." She replied.

"Can you control it?" He continued.

"I'm learning, with guidance. Although, with your cooperation, we could perfect it."

"Perhaps. It is not as simple a thing as you assume."

The woman leading them dismissed the claim, "I don't assume anything. I've analyzed the formula for it quite thoroughly. I can recreate it now easily, with none of the negative side-effects. It took some time, but the Seal of Earth and the Seal of Heaven are both complete. I've even purged the weaknesses and poisons of it from others who had it before the perfected set was made."

Jugo nodded quietly, muttering something under his breath, barely exhaling it.

"Yes, mine is the Seal of Earth. The same Kimimaro used."

Both the men jumped, "How did you hear me?" Jugo asked, genuinely surprised. Suigetsu just laughed it off.

"The Hidden Sound... I guess you guys develop that more than just for show and the name."

"That's correct. Tay-... The Otokage can hear anything she wants. Also, in case you're wondering, I've been told to tell you these things. Don't think you're 'special' or that I'm spilling this lightly. Suigetsu, you in particular might make use of the Seals for your 'Swordsmen'."

Suigetsu shrugged it off. "Never understood the draw to it. Doesn't it turn you into a monster? No offense, Jugo. Besides, the Swordsmen are known for their swords, not for crazy curse powers."

"None taken, it is a tremendous burden to bear." Their leader made no comment, but kept walking.

"So what side is the Sound taking in this war?" Suigetsu asked, "Your 'eloquent' boss never exactly stated."

"Ours." Sakura responded curtly.

"Not sure I follow..."

"By running damage control and subduing the most harmful... elements... of the war, we'll be securing a good name for ourselves. The other villages will have to accept us in gratitude. We'll fulfill our own goals, such as you rebuilding the Swordsmen, in the process; though they'd probably be helpful if they were ready when we were." She finally stopped in front of a door and opened it. "There's room in here for both of you. Don't squander the chance the Otokage has given you, it's very rare that people actually meet her approval." As she spoke they walked inside to examine their new home only for her to close the door behind them abruptly without another word.

"Well... can't say they're very personable, but it could be worse." Suigetsu chuckled, hopping on a very poor-quality bed.

"Better than living day-to-day as missing-nins." Jugo remained standing and examined the room.

"Hey, this was your idea." Suigetsu reminded him.

"I never denied it. We'll make our place here and the Seven Swordsmen of the Sound can be 'forged'." Jugo began to walk slowly around the room.

"Huh. Good way to put it. I'm using that."

]][[

Elsewhere, Tayuya sat quietly, smiling. "Well who'd have thought those two little shits would actually play a part in all this?" Without turning to the door behind her, she added, "Get in here you damn mutt, just because it got interrupted doesn't mean your training is over. You've got to master the second level before I'm going to send you on any missions more complicated or difficult than wiping your own ass."

Sakura walked into the room, the seal pattern spreading as she began to resume the training she'd been in the middle of when the two 'guests' had shown up. "Yes, of course."

Tayuya smirked, "Hah, a far cry from the mewling little shit you were when I found you. Well, maybe with enough damn training you'll be worth the effort I've put into you."

Sakura smiled, the seal glowing as it continued to spread and darken her skin, "I won't disappoint you."

"You'd better not... Sakura." She seemed to linger on it for a moment before continuing harshly. "Well, enough fucking babbling, let's do this." Tayuya, stood as her skin darkened as well.

]][[

Kakashi had been speaking with the woman for several terse minutes. Her condition suggested she wasn't here to fight, but no one from Konoha with the exception of Naruto would openly talk to someone from Akatsuki without expecting violence. Kakashi continued to ask her questions about what would cause her to come here, and why he shouldn't simply turn her away.

_If there's one thing I trust,_ Karin thought, _it's that if the person is someone Naruto would trust, then they're someone worth trusting... except maybe Sasuke._ She finally decided to take a more active hand in things, despite the disapproving look from Kakashi. "Konan, was it?"

"Yes." the blue-haired woman replied.

"I'm going to treat your wounds, I know a bit of medical techniques, it won't heal them much, but it should take the edge off." Karin moved towards her, but stopped when she saw her jerk suddenly.

"It's okay, if Karin means to help, she will." Kakashi added, still very on-guard and making it all-too-clear that if violence were to happen, it'd be coming from him first.

The woman relaxed and Karin resumed her approach. Within a few minutes she'd done what she could and stepped back.

"Thank you," the somber woman replied. "But like I was saying, we don't have time. Madara is moving."

"I'm still not sure we can believe that. It might be a trap. We know he has the Sharingan, you could be a decoy and not even know it, even if you mean well." Kakashi replied.

"Kakashi...?" Karin began, not believing that level of suspicion was coming from a Konoha ninja after all she'd experienced around them. _Maybe someone like Danzou would think that way, but Kakashi? I don't know him well, but Naruto thinks so highly of him._

"You don't have to trust me, you just have to hear me and decide on your own. As for a subtle technique to make me a decoy... I doubt that. It was only with Izanagi that he survived my own rebellion." Konan's voice was emotionless as she spoke.

Kakashi's eyes widened, "You fought him?" She nodded. "What prompted you to turn against him?"

"As you may recall, I was really only with it for Nagato's aims. Madara was always a poison on what Akatsuki started out as. When he wanted to claim Nagato's Rinnegan, I opposed him. The dead deserve their rest." For once, emotion broke into her voice and it was clear that it was sorrow-filled.

To her surprise, Karin saw Kakashi relax at that statement as he replied somberly: "Yes... yes they do."

"Even with everything I had, I barely managed to put enough pressure on him to bring out his most fearsome techniques... and I failed. He has the Rinnegan now. I can't imagine how powerful he has grown with them." Konan continued, both Konoha ninja regarded her silently, each considering different things as she spoke at length. "Now, he also has Sasuke under his thumb. Aside from that, he made some kind of deal with Kabuto. With those two, and that Zetsu creature, he's starting to move."

"Five people is hardly an army..." Karin began, but stopped when she saw the harsh looks from the two older ninja.

"It is worse than an army, they can move almost undetected wherever they please and have no worries about managing separate units or nations. Moreover... five of them, five great countries. I imagine I don't need to elaborate further." Kakashi informed her quickly.

"He's right. Madara's plan is completely simplistic in its execution. He can pick off key targets while you're forced to try and comb the lands for five ninja." Konan's face was all Karin needed to see to realize the gravity of the situation. "Moreover, the shapeshifting technique that Nagato utilized is part of the Rinnegan, and Madara has it now."

Karin frowned, _That doesn't need explaining... with the copies, they can strike with impunity from an easily hidden location. We're stuck relying on our superiors for guidance whereas the five of them can strike with impunity and wear us down. Wow... and I thought Orochimaru was twisted, this is a whole new level of sociopath. How do you fight against 'things' like this?_ The time she'd spent in Konoha so far suddenly seemed very far away and intangible, like a dream. _I hope Naruto is still okay..._ she ran a hand through her hair and straightened her glasses, she hadn't heard from him in some time...

...but Konan was still talking and Karin returned her attention to the conversation happening between her and Kakashi.

"I'm in no condition to fight. I've used up everything I had to try and take Madara down or at least keep him off Nagato's body, but it failed. It'll be at least a week before I can offer any solid help besides intelligence; most of which is probably outdated."

Kakashi nodded, "Acceptable all the same. We'll take you back into the village and keep you safe while the Hokage decides how to proceed. For now, though, I see no reason not to trust what you've said."

Both women seemed a little surprised by Kakashi's sudden change-of-opinion. Konan's expression seemed sympathetic and understanding while Karin's was full of confusion.

The moment was short-lived, however, as a low chuckle could suddenly be heard. "I'm going to have to argue that it is 'acceptable'. More like completely **un**acceptable. I will admit I'm impressed you got away from Madara, however. That can't have been easy."

Kakashi and Konan looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, but Karin had no such difficulties. "He's underground. That's how Kabuto works. He'll never just show himself until he's lost the element of surprise. Isn't that right?" She called out.

A cloud of smoke bursting from a spot less than twenty feet away answered: "Karin? Is that you? Well now _that_ I didn't expect!" As the smoke cleared, the hooded man became more visible... as did the large white snake that coiled protectively near him; seeming to come from the depths of his cloak.

Karin was taken aback at the sight of him. _What the hell? He was always creepy but what has he done to himself?_ His skin was scaled and he looked almost like some kind of mutated hybrid of himself and his former master.

"You're a Konoha Ninja now, huh?" The snake-man sneered. "That's rich, but if they had some reason to take you in... now I'm curious. Be a good girl and let me experiment on you again..." he took a step forward, a scaled hand reaching out towards her. A second later he flipped backwards, dodging a kunai hurled by Kakashi. "Tsk... does this really concern you, Kakashi? I'm here to plug a leak. Collecting Karin over there is just a bonus. Tell you what, if you leave and pretend you don't know what happened, I can just see my way into letting you live. Besides, as a rule of thumb I don't waste materials... and that eye... well, let's just call it a bartering chip."

Karin grit her teeth and stepped forward and motioned Konan behind her. _I know I'm not exactly a threat to him like Kakashi might be, but if he gets a clear shot at her, she's done for._ She fell into a combat-ready stance. "Don't let him fluster you, he's a talker but he's really just looking for an opening." she muttered to Kakashi.

Without turning to see him, she could still practically _feel_ the smile on his face. "I'd figured that out, but thanks for the tip! Don't worry though, either of you. If I were to abandon my comrades... well, I'd never be able to live with myself." He fell into his own combat stance and called out. "No thanks, Kabuto, or whatever you are now. I don't care about your rules or your offers. Make your move snake. We're ready for you."

Kabuto straightened his glasses, chuckling again. "Some things really never change. Konoha ninja are always going to be Konoha ninja..." he let the statement hang in the air for a moment before lunging towards Karin.

_I knew he'd go for me first!_ she flashed a grin for a moment, having been accumulating chakra in anticipation of it. _Wait... _she paused, analyzing it in her mind for one moment out of the maybe three total she had to react with. _He'd never do something so predictable-_"Kakashi! Look out!" She called, attempting to remold the chakra she'd been shaping to create a barrier around herself into an attack instead.

Kakashi, to his credit, acknowledged her warning as unnecessary. His Sharingan eye had seen through the deception already and he moved to counter the lunge with the flashing lightning of chakra already focused on his hand. Surprisingly, Kabuto managed to weave around it in a way a human body shouldn't have been capable of, dodging the blow at the last moment while several pale snakes shot out of his robe.

Shocked, but not unprepared, Kakashi threw himself out of the way of the snakes only to realize too late that their aim had been to displace him and not hit him in the first place. Now Kabuto had positioned himself in the center of his three opponents, giving him a clear line of attack at Konan, though he hadn't taken it yet. "What's the matter, Copy Ninja Kakashi? Can't copy what you don't understand?" He jeered, once again almost completely still except for a soft swaying.

Karin kept watching intently, holding back an attack. _What is he doing...? How is he fooling a Sharingan? Even thick robes won't hide the muscle movements well enough. Watch him... I've gotta watch him! I've got to see through his technique...!_ She kept herself focused on defense while still keeping a safe distance from him, but never took her eyes off of him. Slowly, she brought more chakra into her sensory abilities. _Come on..._ she ignored the banter he threw out casually, attempting to taunt Kakashi, goad her into attacking, or intimidate Konan into a mistake. _Come on... _she looked to Kakashi and caught his eye for a moment and nodded, hoping he understood.

A hurled pair exploding tags, aimed as if to force their assailant away from Konan and back towards his starting position gave her the confirmation that Kakashi had. _Good! Now I can focus on him moving..._ she thought, only realizing a moment too late that it still left herself as a viable avenue of movement and Kabuto was headed straight for her. She barely had a moment to react before Kabuto suddenly diverted, the air between him and his target shimmering wildly and distorting.

"The Mangekyo? Already? Why is **she** so important?" Kabuto asked, rounding on Kakashi once more.

"Didn't I already tell you? Every comrade is important to me. Don't make me repeat myself again." Kakashi smiled, though the technique had obviously taken a lot of effort.

"That's how you did it." Karin interrupted. Knowing she wouldn't have time to explain at length, she called out: "He's modified his body! He's liquifying himself and using a snake-form, you can't read human movements off of it!"

Kabuto's smile wavered only for a moment, angry his trick was revealed, but then suddenly unflappable again. "Now... how on **earth** did you find that out Karin? Your sensory technique was never that-" he was interrupted by another flurry of attacks by Kakashi. Konan had fallen back and again Karin interposed herself between the fatigued woman and the monster attacking them all. "Not nice Kakashi. I'm just curious. Nothing says we can't be civil about trying to kill each other~" he chided but attacked mid-speech once more, moving for all the world like the snake he'd seemingly become with sudden lashing movements.

"I get it now, I can predict your moves." Kakashi said solemnly. "I'll make it easy on you. Surrender, and I won't have to kill you."

"Really? Kill me? You think you can? Go ahead and try!" Kabuto lunged forward, plunging straight into a stabbing motion from Kakashi. As the energy-clad thrust hit him, his mouth unhinged to inhuman proportions and a second, snakelike Kabuto emerged with projectile speed, mouth wide and lined with teeth towards Kakashi's face.

His eyes widened in surprise, caught unprepared by the complete disregard the man had for his 'body'. He'd molted the previous body just as Orochimaru often had. He flinched, bracing himself for the attack he couldn't dodge at this range only for a blinding flash of light to sear across the gap between them.

Karin was panting, "Made it..." she managed, hands held rigid and aimed at that spot.

Kabuto, who'd taken the brunt of the attack, fell to the ground; the half of his 'new' body that had been toward Karin was flash-fried. The scales either crisped away or melted together in alternating patches as the stench of it filled the air. "Wha... what was that?!" He shouted, clearly in pain but ignoring it in the presence of something curious to him. "That wasn't fire or lightning!" he writhed in agony; whether from his wounds or from his lack of knowledge, no one knew.

Slowly, the thrashing creature slowed its agonized movements as it grew weaker and weaker. Kakashi stepped forward, readying himself to finish the creature that had once been a man. "You won't get to know."

"We'll see about that..." the serpentine body began to laugh, a horrible hissing and gurgling noise. "I came to silence a leak, but even if I'd succeeded in killing her it would've been pointless because you got me! Hahaha! See you again real soon Karin! I'm looking forward to dissecting you to figure out what that was!" His one remaining eye turned to Kakashi, regarding the man who moved closer with obvious intent. "And you should know... I figured out who 'Madara' is... let me just tell you, it was quite a surprise!"

Kakashi put a foot on the creature, pressing down hard. "Who is he?! What are you after in this?" The snake-man clearly didn't have much time left and Kakashi seemed more agitated than before about getting information out of it.

"Gllk!" Kabuto coughed and sputtered under the pressure. "What am I after? Nothing at all! This war doesn't concern me one bit! I'll get what I want while you all kill each other!"

Kakashi lunged forward, decisively ending Kabuto with a single thrust and then scowling loudly. "One step ahead, isn't he?" He sighed. Standing up over a body that didn't resemble Kabuto in the slightest; though the wounds were all present from the battle. He turned to Konan, "Guess you were right. They've already started sending out shape-shifter clones." He nodded, noting that at this point, Kabuto's attempt on her life was either an incredibly elaborate scheme or that Konan was telling the truth. He walked back calmly at first, but then saw Karin start to sway and rushed over.

Karin only managed to see things blur for a moment and couldn't hear what Kakashi was shouting, though she could tell he was. It all sounded indistinct and unclear. Slowly her vision faded to black as she fell backwards. _Did I do okay?_

]][[

Time had stopped passing in any kind of noticeable way. Naruto couldn't tell if he'd been practicing for minutes, hours, or days. All he knew is that it was exhausting and took everything he had to make even the slightest bit of progress.

"Again yo! Can't try to force it, gotta go with the flow!" Bee shouted, signaling this particular break was at an end.

Once again, Naruto called the chakra from the fox around himself, trying to mold it into armor. It stung, he could feel his skin tearing and, suppressing his own instincts to stop, kept channeling more. _He's right, 'version 2' hurts like hell. Still, there's a lot of power here. Just... gotta... control it..._ he grit his teeth, feeling the force envelope him further.

"Now the hard part, don't stop now, finish what ya start! Trick is to finish it as you, don't get split in two!"

"Not. Helping." Naruto practically roared, already knowing what was coming. At this stage, he could feel the fox's persona somewhat merging with his own. The rage, the fury, and the bestial savagery of it. _You know, we don't have to fight over this!_ He thought, getting a roar as an answer; surprising himself when it came aloud from his own mouth. As always, the fox was unwilling to lend itself to Naruto, even now that he'd subjugated it inside himself. _Time to try something new..._ he abandoned the transformation attempt, letting the energy fall away and relying on its residual effects to heal him sufficiently; something that was much easier and more reliable with him in control of the energies.

"What are you doi-" Yamato began, but Bee just held up a hand. The two continued to watch as Naruto began to draw in energy for his sage mode technique.

_Maybe I can balance it out a bit..._ he thought, once more attempting to mold the fox's chakra. This time, he poured his sage energies into it as well, trying to balance out the hostile chakra with his own.

Moments later, he fell back, groaning in pain as the chakra dissipated.

"You're doin' it all wrong Naruto! You gotta be friends with the fox, make 'im your bro!" Bee shouted.

_Easier said than done._ Naruto dragged himself back to his feet. _He's right though, why are we even fighting. We've both got this body._ He thought, directing it inward to the place he drew the fox's chakra from. _**Because it should be my body.**_

_Okay, you want it to be your body? Why not cooperate and aid the transformation? If I master this 'version 2', the next is a full beast transformation. You've seen the Eight-tales do it._

_**Your point?**_

_ Bee told us that you're the one who gets to do the 'steering' at that point._

_**So you're saying if I work with you to transform you, I can control what we do while you're wearing my form?**_

_ To an extent..._

_**Hah! Always conditions with you humans.**_

_ Well I don't want you to go on a senseless rampage!_

_**What if that's exactly what I want?**_

Naruto considered it for a moment, but then smiled and shook his head. It was a confusing gesture to those who watched, unable to listen to his internal conversation. _I don't believe that's the case._

_**What would you know of it? Of me, even!**_

_More than you think. You want to be free, but I don't think you're a bad person._

_**I'm not a person.**_

_ Fine, individual. To me? You're a friend though._

_**What!? A friend?! Don't make me laugh!**_

_No really, you are. Think about it, you've never abandoned me-_

_**I never had a choice!**_

_-you've never left me to die by withholding your power-_

_**Again!**_

_-and we've had plenty of fights._

_**...what?**_

_Friends do that. They always do. The difference between friends and enemies is that when friends fight, one will always apologize or try to make it better._

_**Get to your point already, human!**_

Naruto opened his eyes and looked to Yamato and Bee. "Sorry, this may get a bit violent but it's the right thing to do." He didn't explain or spare another word, closing his eyes and returning to his internal 'grotto', standing face to face with the fox. The creature was back in its cage, forced there after their battle. There was no seal on the bars anymore, it was simply bound by Naruto's power over it. The bars and chains couldn't were forged of his own chakra now.

He approached, sage mode tinting his eyes as he walked. "I'm sorry." He said, and tore the doors down with a single motion. "You've been more than patient and I owe it to you..." he walked further, the fox staring in complete confusion. With another deft motion, Naruto threw the bindings he placed on it off of it and shattered them.

"**What are you doing?**" It asked, cautiously rising to its feet.

Naruto let the sage mode energy fall away and shrugged. "Something I should've done a long time ago..." He took a step forward and held out his hand. The fox eyed it curiously, sniffing the air uncertainly.

"Hi. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you."

"**...**"

"Sorry I kept you locked up here for so long. You've got free run of me. I hope one day to earn the same from you." The young man added, hand still extended.

The fox didn't blink, meeting his stare even as it loomed massively; drawing itself up to its full height. "**Foolish boy... you think a gesture of kindness will suddenly make us friends!?**" It lunged forward, one paw lashing out towards Naruto.

Naruto beamed brightly, not bothering to make any motion to defend himself, simply leaving his hand extended. "No, but it's a good start!"

The fox stopped its motion as suddenly as it had began. "**No fear at all.**" It said quietly, staring, almost as if it were awe-struck.

"Fear of what?" Naruto asked, genuinely appearing confused.

"**Of me.**"

"Why should I be afraid of you? You wouldn't hurt me. You've only ever retaliated, I'd be mad too if people kept me locked for years and years. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

"**...Kurama.**"

"What?" Naruto tilted his head, still confused.

The fox's paw surged forward again. "**My name. It's Kurama.**" The paw touched Naruto's hand and then withdrew.

"Oh. Ya know, I never realized you had a name!" Naruto chuckled, cutting it off abruptly when he heard the fox start growling. "I mean... of course you had one, but uh... do all the tailed beasts have names?"

"**Of course we do. What kind of stupid question is that?**"

"Fair point... so now... about tha-"

"**Yes, I'll stop fighting it. For now. Prove you mean it though. Give me control.**"

"Done!" Naruto grinned.

Outside, Yamato and Bee watched as Naruto suddenly went through all the transformations rapidly and without a hitch.

"I think he's got it figured out, that or the nine-tails is about to get out!" Bee shouted, backing up slowly and readying himself. He saw Yamato do the same. An ear-splitting roar filled the air as the form of the Nine-Tailed Fox loomed over them.

"**You!**" It pointed at Bee, who was distinctly aware it wasn't Naruto at this point. "**Cease your damn rapping! Gyuki! How do you put up with that asshole!?**"

Bee's jaw dropped, and then he outright laughed. "It ain't easy to rhyme so great! It took some time but he learned to appreciate!" Yamato still remained combat ready, unsure about the sudden exchange between the two and now equally aware Naruto was not the one speaking out of that body.

"**And you!**" It pointed at the other man. "**Never use those wood techniques on me again! I refuse to be bound any further!**"

_That's enough, they're my friends._

_**Fine. I'll consider this a good 'start' to you letting me have control.**_

_ Hey, there's plenty more opportunities. If Bee is right, you've got a lot more to teach me still._

_**I never agreed to teach you anything.**_

_ Then you'll have to do them for me._ The fox had paused, and slowly reverted back to Naruto's original form. The young man stood unharmed. _Not a bad concept though, I think we'll make a great team._

_**We'll see...**_

"Naruto, are you alright?" Yamato asked, still hesitant to move closer.

"Of course I am. Sorry about all that, Kurama wanted some fresh air. Can't really blame him." Naruto walked over, dusting himself off as he went.

"Kurama?" Yamato slowly relaxed his guard.

"He means his friend you were just ready to fight, the two of them just got tight!" Bee chimed in. Yamato raised an eyebrow but decided to ignore it, writing it off as a jinchuriki thing that he would probably never understand. "So now ya got your team ready, time for the training to get heavy! WEE!" Bee shouted.

Naruto groaned and felt an internal groan to match it from Kurama. "You mean we don't get a break?" He said, falling backwards onto the ground, practically out of chakra.

]][[

Karin awoke to find herself in a soft bed, a window view nearby offered the glare of sunlight, but from what she saw she could tell she was in the rebuilt hospital. Wincing, she rolled over to get the sun out of her eyes. "Who thought it'd be a good idea to have a room with such a view?" She complained, squinting to look around for her glasses even as she rubbed her eyes to keep them from watering.

"You're alright!" she heard a familiar voice call out and suddenly she was wrapped in a pair of arms.

She breathed deep through her nose, drawing in his familiar smell and blushing slightly. "Naruto..."

"Kakashi told me about what happened, you exhausted all your chakra training and still managed to use more. I'm glad you're okay..." he hadn't let go of her yet.

She didn't ask him to, either. "I missed you..." she sighed, giving up on finding the glasses; returning the hug was a far greater priority.

Naruto slowly broke the embrace, as if suddenly remembering this was a public place and realizing he'd been hugging her for over a few minutes. "I uh... so..." he tried to begin, his hand reaching over to hand her glasses to her.

She took them slowly and put them on, her hands moving up to attempt and straighten her hair. _God knows I probably look horrible, training and then collapsing after a fight..._ she fidgeted, not wanting to be seen by him in her current condition. She redid her ponytail and looked at him properly. "You look like hell..." she blurted out, covering her mouth a moment later in shock at her own words.

Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He was covered in scuffs, scratches, bruises, and all the other hallmarks of rough training. "Bee isn't an easy teacher... and neither is Kurama."

"Who?" She asked, having never heard of a ninja with that name.

"Oh. That's the Nine-Tails."

"Naruto you...?" She stared, wanting to try and use her technique to sense his chakra but reconsidering it when she thought about why she was in the hospital in the first place.

"Yeah, it's slow going, but I think he's becoming more accustomed to it all." He moved closer to her, switching from a chair to sitting on the bed next to her. "You had me worried, you know?"

She sighed, hanging her head a bit. "I'm sorry."

"No no, it's alright." He tried to laugh it off, his smile lightening the mood. "I'm just wondering how you used a sensing technique to save Kakashi's butt! He said I had you to thank for him not being in here too but wouldn't tell me why!"

"What?" She started, remembering Naruto didn't know about her ability yet.

"He said I'd have to ask you about it personally." He mused on it for a moment, then his face flushed a bit as he grumbled, "...and told me it wasn't his business to help me communicate with my..." and just let the statement trail off unfinished.

"Your...?" she leaned in, curious to hear him finish the statement more than she would ever admit. _Oh come on, say it... I wanna hear you say it... come on!_

"**Girlfriend.**" the voice that came out of Naruto was not his own, causing her to jump back in fright.

"Kurama! No no no! Not okay Kurama!" Naruto shouted, in his own voice again, suddenly punching himself in the gut lightly. He turned, blushing furiously to look at Karin.

She smiled for a moment, enjoying the comical way Naruto always managed to lighten things. She blushed and looked away, suddenly intent on straightening her glasses while she added: "It's fine... I just... would've preferred if you'd said it..."

"Huh?" Naruto stared at her. He seemed to shake off his stupor and then leaned in closer to her. "Karin..." he whispered, moving his face close to hers.

"Y-yes?" she stammered, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he'd be able to hear it.

He took a deep breath and moved towards her until their noses touched. With an incredible softness he kissed her; their lips just barely brushing against each other. He leaned back a bit and exhaled: "my girlfriend." finishing his statement from before in his own words.

Her eyes started to tear up again, an uncontrollable smile on her face. "Better..." was all she could reply with, barely able to choke it out as she fought to keep her composure.

"Oh... and uh..." he whispered, moving a bit back from her.

"Yes...?" she asked, her smile practically glowing as a happy tear trailed down her face.

Naruto's face betrayed him moments before he said it: "Your breath is-" he began, stopping when he saw her smile vanish. "Um..." he stammered, realizing that now was not the time to complain about that. "**You're screwed.**" Kurama's voice interjected. "Still not oka-" Naruto began to reply before getting shoved off the bed as Karin rolled over with a huff.

"Ouch!" he cried, landing hard on the tile floor. "I'm sorry!"

"...you owe me a date." She huffed, not rolling over to face him. _Wait a second... if the fox could... doesn't that mean?_ Her eyes widened in shock and she turned to grab a hapless Naruto by his shoulders; he was still smiling at her demand for a date. "What can the fox see while he's in you!"

"**Everything. Don't worry. I'm not interested in human mating rituals.**" Naruto's mouth moved as Kurama's words came out. Naruto gave a weak laugh and tried to shrug it off, "We're still working out some internal issues...?" he suggested.

Karin's left eye twitched. "Nevermind. No date. Not until you work those 'issues' out. I'm not doing a double-date with the Nine-Tails." She rolled back over, shuddering. _It's bad enough all of Konoha seems to know I like the idiot, now I have to always have a tailed beast watching!? That's so unfair! How am I supposed to have alone time with him like that... and why do I suddenly want alone time with him!? _she raged internally, giving Naruto the cold shoulder all the while.

"Hey that's-!" he began to try and argue.

]][[

The masked man stood overlooking a room full of subdued hostages. None of them were conscious. "Good work," he nodded to the hooded man to his side, "this will do." His hands flashed into motion as he began his technique. Slowly, each of the captives appearances changed and they rose their to the feet. Within minutes he was looking at a room full of copies of himself, Kabuto, both Zetsus, and even Sasukes.

The hooded man's tongue flicked past his lips. "I'm not sure you made enough." he joked.

The masked man held up a hand, signaling their attention. "Go. All of you. You know your missions."

Without a word the mass of them departed, though the Kabuto copies lingered far longer than they needed to.

"Remind me, why are we aiming such pointless targets again?" Kabuto asked his masked partner.

"None of them are targets. The Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails are the targets. The rest are just bait." He replied and left without another word, leaving Kabuto alone in the vast empty chamber.

"Speak for yourself," Kabuto muttered, "I've got plenty of targets amongst the 'bait', and even a few amongst my allies..."

]][[

_What is Madara's bait? His 'army' moves to force Naruto and Bee out of hiding!_

]][[

**Naruto: Spiral Heart **- No.7/END


End file.
